BEND, Ore. — From sweeping High Desert landscapes to vibrant contemporary basketry, the annual Art in the West exhibition at the High Desert Museum will return this summer with nearly 130 works celebrating the culture, wildlife, history and scenery of the American West.
Opening Saturday, July 18, the 2026 exhibition and online auction will showcase a diverse collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs and mixed-media works inspired by the region stretching from the eastern slopes of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the Rocky Mountains.
“The diverse artistry that continues to captivate our community in this exhibition, and the 2026 Art in the West collection in particular, is exceptional,” said Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw. “These pieces reveal fresh, unique perspectives of the High Desert, challenging us to see the region’s landscapes and cultures through a modern lens and deepening our collective appreciation for the West.”
Among the featured artists this year is photographer Peter Dawson, whose dramatic work Infinity #3363, Eastern Oregon earned the exhibition’s 2026 Jury’s Choice award. The photograph captures an expansive western sky looming above a stark High Desert landscape.
Dawson, who grew up in Seattle and now lives in Eugene, studied at Brooks Institute of Photography and has built a reputation for documenting the American West. His work has appeared at galleries including Modern West Fine Art in Salt Lake City and The Oregon Center for Photographic Arts in Portland. Commercial clients have included Land Rover, Subaru and Nike.
The exhibition’s 2026 Curator’s Choice award went to Natalie Kirk for Yamash in Thunderbird of Nch’I Wana, a colorful basket crafted from yarn, smoked elk hide and seed beads. Kirk, a contemporary weaver from Warm Springs, learned basketry from master weaver Eraina Palmer while both worked at The Museum at Warm Springs.
Kirk’s award-winning work depicts a thunderbird soaring across a bright blue sky. Her baskets are included in collections at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and the Autry Museum of the American West.
The exhibition also includes work from nationally recognized artists such as Arturo Garcia, Frank Buffalo Hyde and Miguel Almeida, alongside Oregon artists including Judy Hoiness, Taylor Manoles and Stuart Breidenstein.
Garcia’s oil painting Nine Chiefs uses layered palette knife techniques and bold colors to create depth and movement, while Manoles’ Assurance portrays a glowing sunset fading into the darkness of a forest landscape.
Hyde returns to the Museum with GLHF – How the west was won #2, an acrylic painting blending modern imagery with Indigenous history through his signature graphic style. Almeida, whose exhibition Las Manos que dan de Comer (The Hands That Feed) is currently on display at the Museum, contributed two colorful works inspired by his Mexican heritage.
The full 2026 collection will be available for viewing both at the Museum and online through the Museum’s auction page. The gallery guide goes live Monday, July 13, with online bidding opening July 18 at 9 a.m. Artwork will be available for direct purchase, and shipping options will be offered.
The exhibition and auction conclude Friday, Oct. 2, during the Art in the West Closing Party at the Museum. The evening event will feature artist meet-and-greets, live demonstrations, food and drinks. The party begins at 6 p.m., and bidding closes at 7 p.m.
Art in the West is supported by Western Art Collector and American Art Collector magazines, Campfire Hotel, High Desert Frameworks, 1859 Magazine and Willamette Valley Vineyards.
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