Events

By Laura F. Fry, vice president for curatorial affairs and collections

The Eiteljorg Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale has built an extraordinary community of collectors, artists and enthusiasts of the American West since the show’s inception in 2006. Last year, I was thrilled to attend Quest for the West® for the first time. In the months leading up to the opening, I helped manage the planning for the event as the museum’s new vice president of curatorial affairs and collections — checking off endless to-do lists, collaborating with the Eiteljorg’s Western Art Society and Quest artists, and working with other museum staffers on the event planning, exhibition design, marketing and volunteer training. And then the artworks started to arrive at the museum!
Soon, I gained a new appreciation for the sheer scale of Quest as every available square inch of storage space in the Eiteljorg’s lower level was packed to the gills with incoming crates and boxes shipped by the artists, filled with nearly 200 paintings and sculptures to be installed in the gallery. I had reviewed digital images of the artworks, but there was no substitute for seeing each work in person as it emerged from its packing materials. Finally, we were ready to open the doors.

Artworks in demand
If you’ve never attended Quest for the West®, there’s nothing quite like it. Throughout my career as a curator, I’ve attended numerous exhibition openings, museum galas and other sale shows of contemporary western American art. But I’d never seen a major event offering art of the West for sale in the Eastern time zone. Nearly all the participating artists attended the event in person, traveling to Indianapolis from across the country. During opening weekend, newcomers and longtime Quest attendees alike jumped at the chance to meet the artists, explore the works, and cast their bids for the opportunity to purchase artworks in two luck-of-the-draw, fixed-price sales. When the dust settled, the 2025 show set an all-time Quest record for artwork sales: more than $1.32 million total.

Ten bold new artists
Building on this success, what can visitors expect for Quest in 2026? Over the past year, Eiteljorg staff members traveled to leading galleries and art shows to meet new artists and collectors, including the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale in Denver, the Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Pasadena, and the Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson. Then, we worked with Western Art Society members to identify and invite 10 exciting new-to-you artists for this year’s Quest, who are making their first appearances at the sale. You’ll find luminous watercolors by Marlin Rotach, modernist cowgirls by Angie Haskell, woodblock prints by Leon Loughridge, electric acrylic sculptures by Maeve Eichelberger, and gleaming ceramics and bronze vessels by Pahponee (Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas / Citizen Potawatomi Nation) — who is also well known as an Indian Market & Festival artist.
Fifty artists will be featured in this year’s Quest. Returning artists include S.M. Chavez, Dean Mitchell, P.A. Nisbet, Pati Stajcar, Curt Mattson and local Indiana artist Mark Kelso. Preston Singletary (Tlingit), whom many Eiteljorg fans remember from the 2024 glass art exhibit Raven and the Box of Daylight, again has bronze sculptures in Quest.

For artists and guests alike, Quest opening weekend is distinct for its Hoosier hospitality. This year includes three days of spectacular events, kicking off with an open-house welcome reception at 5 p.m. Sept. 10. The two luck-of-the-draw art-buying opportunities are the miniature art sale Friday evening, Sept. 11, and the main sale Saturday evening, Sept. 12. Also, on Friday afternoon Sept. 11, preregistered Quest guests have a singular opportunity to tour the private art collection of the Witchger family at Marian Inc., including many works from past Quest sales.
Altogether, Quest for the West® reveals that the West is more than a place — it’s a state of mind. It’s many places. It’s constantly shifting. And the 50 artists in the 21st annual Quest offer 50 different definitions of the West. We look forward to seeing you at opening weekend and throughout the Quest exhibition afterward, on view to the public from Sept. 13- Oct. 11. Register for opening weekend activities and opportunities to meet Quest artists at quest.eiteljorg.org.
An exhibit of the whimsical bronze wildlife sculptures of Quest Artist of Distinction Tim Cherry is also open at the Eiteljorg from Aug. 22 through Sept. 27.

21st ANNUAL
QUEST FOR THE WEST® ART SHOW AND SALE
Sale Weekend: SEPT. 11-12
Exhibit open to the public: SEPT. 13-OCT. 11
Artist of Distinction Tim Cherry exhibition: AUG. 22-SEPT. 27

PRESENTED BY:

Western Art Society

Avis Foundation, Inc.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

Art of the West magazine

Southwest Art magazine

Kahn’s Catering

Willow and Stars Flowers

Sophisticated Living magazine

 

 

 

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2026 print edition of Storyteller magazine.