The Arts & Culture
Jackson Hole’s Art and Culture Scene Is a Window Into the City’s Soul
There’s no disputing that Jackson Hole’s culture began in the settlement days and continues to influence it even today. A large aspect of Jackson Hole’s art and culture scene revolves around the inspiration the surrounding beauty of the area provides to artists, both now and in the past. And oh what a colorful past Jackson Hole has.
The first artists, including Thomas Moran, Carl Rungius, and William Henry Jackson, arrived in Jackson Hole along with the first settlers in the late 1800s. And like the settlers, they had no easy time getting to the area. Jackson Hole’s earliest artisans entered the valley with canvasses, paints, brushes, and heavy cameras balanced on the backs of their horses. Their trek was well worth the trials and tribulations of early day travel as it gave the rest of the world an opportunity to behold the beauty the region’s greatest treasures. The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone Park, the Snake River, and an endless variety of wildlife posed as the subjects for a myriad of photos, paintings, watercolors, and sculptures.
Fast forward almost a century to when the next generation of artists, like Conrad Schwiering, John Clymer, Archie Teater and more, descended into Jackson Hole. Schwiering became the grandfather of today’s Jackson Hole’s thriving art galleries by opening the area’s first art gallery in the Wort Hotel’s lobby. Art galleries that soon followed include the Trailside Gallery, Jim Wilcox’s gallery on the Town Square, West Lives On Gallery, Horizon Fine Arts, Jack Dennis’ Wyoming Gallery, and Boyer’s Indian Arts & Crafts.
Art galleries continue to thrive and draw tourists from all over the world. Though much of the area’s most popular art is understandably focused on the landscape and a western theme, Jackson Hole supports a large community of young “whippersnapper” artists who are bringing a modern flair to the scene. Nothing exhibits this better than the annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival that grows in popularity every single year. The festival is held in September and features visual, performing, and gastronomic arts right alongside the Western folk and Native American art that made Jackson Hole a leading cultural hub.
Jackson Hole Art Reflects Life
The settlers are long gone, but today’s residents live in Jackson Hole for many of the same reasons that brought the settlers. They have a deep love and respect for the environment in which they feel privileged to live. And like the settlers, they have brought their own interests and woven them into the community culture. Jackson Hole’s culture is all the better for it. Not only has their penchant for outdoor adventure helped Jackson Hole become a winter and summer tourist hotspot, but their sophisticated and savvy nature has spurred a variety of other cultural activities.
Rounding out Jackson Hole’s 40 plus gallery scene, are events like the Grand Teton Music Festival, theatre dance companies, professional dance troupes, several community music ensembles, and the Jackson Hole Writer’s Conference. The Grand Teton Music festival draws over 200 musicians from the world’s top orchestras. The musicians perform over 40 chamber and symphonic concerts, themed musical events, and performances for children throughout July and August. The Festival Orchestra performs Tuesday through Saturday nights at the Walk Festival in Teton Village at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort from July to August. The Jackson Hole Writer’s Conference provides up and coming writers the opportunity to master their skills under the watchful eyes of famous authors like Wally Lamb, Elizabeth Berg, Sue Grafton and more.
