The Western Design Exhibit + Sale celebrated its 31 years in Jackson Hole in September, presenting more than $17,000 in prizes to 16 award-winning artists, including $5K to Andrew Parent's Peacemaker Grill for its "best in show" win, as well as 15 additional artists taking home cash winnings and honorable mentions for functional, handmade artwork. An energetic crowd filled the opening night Preview Party + Fashion Show, bidding on auction items such as fine furniture, apparel, jewelry and rugs before watching a live runway show featuring 15 fashion collections, including "best artist" Stella Thomas.
JACKSON, Wyo., Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Peacemaker Grill took Best of Show at the 31st annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale (WDC) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this month, earning Montana maker Andrew Parent a $5,000 cash prize. The grill, equally a dynamic steel sculpture and an ultimate outdoor cooking station, is a fitting representation for the four-day event, which each year celebrates the best of American museum-quality functional art from across the country, encompassing handcrafted works in leather, metal, home accents, woodworking, mixed media, jewelry and fashion that capture the spirit of the West. Parent's honor was one of 16 Design Excellence Awards given on September 8, earning artists both acclaim and a total of more than $17,000 in prizes.
In the spirit of the community of artists from across the country that the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale fosters—and of Parent's motto that "people are brought together by food, fire, song"—the award-winning Peacemaker Grill was put to work cooking cheesecake, cookies, cobbler, carnitas tacos and steaks for the attending artisans. "Andrew represents the best of American craft at its tastiest," says WDC executive director Allison Merritt with a smile.
Stella Thomas of Stillwater, Oklahoma, took the award for Best Artist – Fashion, as well as Best Collection – Fashion Show, for her dramatic wearable art, wraps and jewelry. Thomas's looks were one of 15 designers' collections from cowboy couture to contemporary chic that stomped the runway at the WDC's famed Preview Party + Fashion Show on the September 7 opening night of the 2023 event. Returning show favorite Tres Outlaws Boot Company of El Paso, Texas, and Cody, Wyoming, took Best Artist – Leather, while Chrissy Glenn Metal Sculptress of Cody won Best Artist – Jewelry, and Lakota artisan William Mendoza's Quill Bill Creations of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, was awarded Best Artist – Accents.
The biomorphically undulating curves of the stunning Allegretto Leaf Hall Table, crafted in American cherry, won art furniture maker Mark Levin of Corrales, New Mexico, the coveted Best Artist – Woodworking honor this year. Meanwhile, new-to-the-WDC exhibitor and outdoorswoman Ashley Delonas' Mountain Girl Studios of Pocatello, Idaho, received the Honorable Mention – Accents award for her lighting creations of art glass melded with naturally shed antlers that she gathers on her travels.
An intricate marquetry-work piece by master furniture maker Wayne Delyea of Granbury, Texas, won this year's Exhibitor's Choice Award, a favorite award that is voted on by the WDC's participating artisans. And returning Sedona, Arizona, Native American artist Supaya Gray Wolfe, known as Many Tears, won an Honorable Mention – Leather for her shearling chaps. A full list of the 2023 Design Excellence Awards winners can be found here: westerndesignconference.com/about-us/awards/.
"Our Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale artisans continue to astound with the level of quality and imagination displayed in their work and the enjoyment they take in discussing inspiration and handcrafting techniques with our thousands of visitors," says Merritt of this year's event. "Having already touched on creations from more than 28 states this year, we look forward to continuing to grow our community of artists inspired by the materials, themes and artisanal craft techniques of the West in 2024 and beyond." Next year's 2024 Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale has been scheduled for September 5 - 8 at the Snow King Events Center in Jackson, Wyoming.
About the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale:
Celebrating 31 years in 2023, the annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale is a four-day, multimillion-dollar event that brings together craftspeople, collectors, interior designers, architects, and fashion designers with a love of the West. The Western Design Conference was founded in Cody, Wyoming, to promote contemporary artists working in historical American craft methods. The Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale moved to Jackson Hole in 2007, where Executive Director Allison Merritt continues the strong commitment to Western arts in Wyoming while expanding the reach of the show. Additional information, including schedules and tickets, is available at westerndesignconference.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
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