White Valley by Anke Schofield and Luis Garcia-Nerey at Gilman Contemporary.
Although Sun Valley is best known as a destination for outdoor recreation, it also boasts a thriving and sophisticated art scene. This winter many local galleries will be featuring exhibitions that combine the two. Local and world-renown artists contemplate the relationship between man and his environment, or interpret the landscape through various creative lenses. Here we highlight a few outdoor-focused exhibitions in and around Sun Valley this winter. -Kate Elgee
James I by Erin Rachel Hudak at Ochi Gallery’s online shop.
“Young Collector Show”
Emerging Artists Exhibit and Panel Discussion
Featuring affordable work by both established and emerging artists for new collectors, this exhibition will also include a panel discussion for young collectors on January 4th with the Sun Valley Center. Featured artists include Alison Van Pelt, Erin Rachel Hudak, Gordon Stevenson, William Hutnick, Claudia Parducci and others.
Featured at Ochi Gallery (Walnut Ave. location)
November 25th–December 23rd
“Bosque IV”
Kollabs artist Anke Schofield and Luis Garcia-Nerey, who have been working together as professional artists for over 20 years, have teamed up yet again to present “Bosque IV” at Gilman Contemporary this winter. For this exhibition the pair moves away from their fascination with forest life and its inhabitants and moves towards emphasizing the parallels that exist within human society and the animal kingdom.
Featured at Gilman Contemporary Gallery
December 12th–January 30th
“BIRRKU: Treasures from a Distant Land”
This will be artist Buku-Larrnggay’s first exhibit of stunning ceremonial poles and bark paintings in the United States, held in conjunction with a series of community cultural events including film screenings and talks with visiting artist Wukun Wanambi. Using only natural materials, these Yirrkala artists take the ancestral designs of Australian aboriginal art to create enchanting pieces that historically challenged the colonial marginalization of their tribe.
Featured at Harvey Art Projects
Opening Reception on December 30th
“History of the American West through Art”
This exhibition will demonstrate various artists’ interpretation of the American West, dating back to 1844. From early explorers to contemporary artists, this show will map out the progression and artistic representation of the American West for the last century and a half. Featuring works by Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, Olaf Wieghorst, George Catlin, Karl Bodmer and Edward Curtis.
Featured at Broschofsky Galleries
Opening Reception on December 30th
“Lands of Lore”
Shanna Kunz, Linda Tippetts and Seth Winegar Hailing from Utah, both Kunz and Winegar offer different interpretations of the landscape of their homeland; Kunz through the play of light and shadow and Winegar through vibrant color contrasts and a rich surface created by using multiple layers of paint and glaze. Tippetts is the recipient of numerous awards for her landscape works of the Rocky Mountains, including the National Arts for the Parks Grand Prize. Artists will be in attendance at the opening reception.
Featured at the Kneeland Gallery
January 27th–February 28th, 2012
Schemata ‘M’ by Kris Cox at Gail Severn Gallery
“Kris Cox”
Don’t miss the newest work of well-known artist Kris Cox whose meticulously layered and finely sculpted surfaces on panel provide a juxtaposition of calculated references mixed with metaphor and color. The images are produced with investigations of the potency of materials such as putty and glazes on underlying structures, grids, and wood. The end result is a subtle play between the polished, lush top layers and the exposure of deep, underlying patterns made up by traces of the artist’s process of adding and subtracting.
Featured at Gail Severn Gallery
Opening Reception on February 17th, 2012
"Papunya Tula Artists: 40 Years”
A special 40th Anniversary Exhibition by Papunya Tula Artists, Australia’s most historical and renowned Desert Art Centre. This exclusive USA exhibit begins right here in Sun Valley, Idaho—a world-premiere exhibit of 21 stunning new paintings that celebrates 40 years of the Western Desert art movement with a mixed selection of recent works by men and women from Kintore and Kiwirrkura. The show features established Western Desert artists. Proceeds of this exhibition will support the Papunya Tula Artists Aged Care Program. A special Collector Preview and Artist Aged Care Fundraising Cocktail Party to benefit the artists will be held on February 16th, with a intimate glimpse into the lives of works of these artists by Papunya Tula Manager Paul Sweeney.
Featured at Harvey Art Projects
February 17th–March 8th, 2012
“The Eloquence of Trees”
A group tapestry exhibition focused on the natural environment as subject where, as Marshall McLuhan says, “the medium is the message.” These works are not pigment on a ground; the ground is the image. Every color and detail is the result of the interaction of the colored threads which comprise the object itself, the vertical warp interlaced with the horizontal weft. Featuring the work of Squeak Carnwath, Donald and Era Farnsworth, April Gornik, Robert Kushner, Hung Liu, Andy Diaz Hope and Laurel Roth.
Featured at Gail Severn Gallery
Opening Reception on March 9th, 2012