Public exhibition open through Oct. 6

Artist Brett Allen Johnson, left, and Quest for the West® Chair Catherine Turner, right, with Johnson’s painting Pueblo Shapes (2024) that won the Quest Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award on Sept. 6-7 at the Eiteljorg Museum. The painting was purchased by the Western Art Society and gifted to the museum.
Image courtesy of Brittany Erwin Photography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024

INDIANAPOLIS – More than $1 million in exceptional Western art was sold at the Eiteljorg Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale, held Sept. 6-7 at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in downtown Indianapolis. At the 19^th annual Quest for the West®, more than 350 participants gathered to view and purchase art created by 49 of the nation’s best contemporary Western American artists and to meet the artists who were in attendance.

“As a signature program of the Eiteljorg Museum, the Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale has raised the museum’s profile nationally as home to one of the top Western art sales and exhibitions in the country,” Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh said. “Longtime and first-time collectors connect with their favorite artists and acquire exceptional art of the West. Quest for the West® is well respected in the contemporary Western American art world, and we are thrilled to see so much interest by collectors in the artists and their works resulting in a lively auction.”

The opening weekend included two fixed-price, luck-of-the-draw sales and an awards banquet. The amount of art sold to buyers totals $1,090,580, including artworks purchased during the Quest main sale Sept. 7, smaller works sold at the Quest miniature sale Sept. 6, and additional pieces sold through Oct. 6, the end of the exhibition. While Quest for the West® is a museum fundraising event, 75 percent of sales proceeds go directly to artists, with remaining proceeds benefiting the Eiteljorg. Any artworks not sold during Quest weekend – including paintings as well as additional casts of bronze sculptures – could be purchased through Oct. 6.

Quest art awards

Brett Allen Johnson
Pueblo Shapes, 2024
Oil, 38 x 30 inches
Winner of the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award, sponsored by the Western Art Society

Artists at Quest for the West® were recognized with awards in multiple categories Sept. 7. Brett Allen Johnson of Lehi, Utah, received the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award for his painting Pueblo Shapes. The Western Art Society, a group of enthusiastic museum supporters, purchased the painting to add to the Eiteljorg’s collections and sponsored the award.

Dean Mitchell
Below the Mountain, 2024
Acrylic, 28 x 38 inches
Winner of the Henry Farny Award for Best Painting, sponsored by Steve and Jane Marmon

An oil painting by Dean Mitchell of Tampa, Florida, Below the Mountain, won the Henry Farny Award for Best Painting, sponsored by Steve and Jane Marmon.

Dave LaMure, Jr.
The Seeker, 2024
Bronze
26 1/4 x 16 x 20 inches
Winner of the Cyrus Dallin Award for Best Sculpture, sponsored by Michael and Carla Leppert

A bronze sculpture of a raven by Dave LaMure, Jr. of Kimberly, Idaho, The Seeker, received the Cyrus Dallin Award for Best Sculpture, sponsored by Michael and Carla Leppert.

David Griffin
Alpen Glow, 2024
Oil/linen on board, 24 x 24 inches
One of a group of paintings by the artist that won the Victor Higgins Award of Distinction, sponsored by Catherine Turner

Artist David Griffin of Dallas, Texas, received the Victor Higgins Award of Distinction, sponsored by Catherine Turner, for the best overall body of work presented at the show.

Dave Santillanes
The Cache La Poudre River, 2024
Oil, 24 x 44 inches
Winner of the Artists’ Choice Award, sponsored by Phyllis Cockerill

Quest artists voted to select the recipient of the Artists’ Choice Award, sponsored by Phyllis Cockerill. The award went to artist Dave Santillanes of Fort Collins, Colorado, for his painting, The Cache La Poudre River.

 
Bruce Lawes
Her Frozen Fortress, 2024
Oil on linen, 36 x 24 inches
Winner of the Patrons’ Choice Award, sponsored by Tom and Patty Gibbs

In a vote by attendees, a painting by Bruce Lawes of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Her Frozen Fortress, won the Patrons’ Choice Award, sponsored by Tom and Patty Gibbs.

Bruce Lawes
On Golden Pond, 2024
Oil on linen, 14 x 11 inches
Winner of the Miniature Art Show Patrons’ Choice Award, sponsored by David and Giselle Found

Lawes also won a second award, in the brand-new category of the Miniature Art Show Patrons’ Choice Award, for his smaller painting, On Golden Pond. That award is sponsored by David and Giselle Found.

Of the 49 artists who participated in Quest for the West®, eight were newcomers this year or were not in last year’s show. Quest paintings and sculptures remained on exhibition at the Eiteljorg Museum through Oct. 6 for visitors to enjoy before purchased works were shipped to their buyers. A beautifully illustrated 2024 Quest for the West® art catalog is available in the Frank and Katrina Basile Museum Store. Details are at quest.eiteljorg.org. Also, the museum hosted a Quest Last Look reception from 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 26 where collectors could view and purchase any unsold Quest artworks.

Eiteljorg visitors also experienced an exhibition of the striking paintings of Quest artist Krystii Melaine, who won last year’s Quest for the West® Artist of Distinction award. The exhibition, Beyond Boundaries: The Art of Krystii Melaine, continued at the Eiteljorg through Oct. 13.

Quest weekend highlights
At Quest for the West®, two former leaders of the Eiteljorg Museum were remembered. Michael Duty, the Eiteljorg’s inaugural executive director from 1987 to 1994, died April 23. His wife, Laura Duty, and daughter, Brynne Duty, addressed the Quest audience about his support for lifelong learning. They established the Michael Duty Founding Director Internship Endowment Fund at the Eiteljorg in his memory.

Also, Quest guests fondly recalled the contributions of John Vanausdall, who served as President and CEO of the Eiteljorg for 27 years until his retirement last year. Vanausdall, who died Aug. 17, was instrumental in launching Quest for the West® in 2006 and had presided at its annual awards banquet through 2022. During the awards event Sept. 7, Quest artist P.A. Nisbet led the audience in a moving toast to Vanausdall. A recent oil portrait of Vanausdall by Quest artist Mark Kelso was on view. Memorial contributions can be made to the John Vanausdall Capital Improvement Endowed Fund at the Eiteljorg.

The 19^th annual Quest for the West^® Art Show and Sale was presented by the Western Art Society and the Avis Foundation, Inc., as well as numerous other donors. The Eiteljorg also thanks the many volunteers who assisted with tallying bids and other tasks during the two luck-of-the-draw sales.

During the 19th annual Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale, Sept. 6-7, a painting by Brett Allen Johnson, Pueblo Shapes, received the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award. The Western Art Society gifted it to the museum. From left to right, Quest Chair Catherine Turner; artist Brett Allen Johnson of Lehi, Utah; David Found, president of the Western Art Society; and Kathryn Haigh, Eiteljorg President and CEO.
Image courtesy of Brittany Erwin Photography

About the Eiteljorg
For 35 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Indianapolis and scenic White River State Park. The Eiteljorg Museum explores the intersection of the arts, histories and cultures of the past and present by sharing the diverse stories of the American West and the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Located on the Central Canal at 500 West Washington St., the Eiteljorg is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

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