Art world eyeballs Great Falls – Artists and dealers will sell millions of dollars worth of paintings and sculptures in Great Falls this week during the Western Art Roundup

‘Small town setting’ part of mystique of giant art auction, one visitor says

By Eric Newhouse
Tribune Projects Editor

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20040317/localnews/93965.html

A portrait of Charlie Russell oversees the work as Larry Brothwell, and a woman who identified herself as Cori, of Marson Productions, assemble the framework for an over-the-runway light bank for this weekend’s Russell Auction at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls.

Artists and dealers will sell millions of dollars worth of paintings and sculptures in Great Falls this week during the Western Art Roundup.

"This total art immersion experience is one of the unique things about the Russell Auction," said Byron Price of Norman, Okla.

"You never have this kind of massing of art in any other location," said Price, director of the University of Oklahoma’s Russell Center for the Study of Art in the American West.

The abundance may seem unlikely for a town like Great Falls, but "that’s part of the mystique," said Ann Daley of the Denver Art Museum.

"This is a marvelous event of national importance that’s happening in a small-town setting," she added.

Foremost in the week’s events is the C.M. Russell Auction of Original Western Art, now in its 36th year. Another nine art and antique shows join the Russell Auction in taking over the city through the weekend.

The Russell event will span about seven hours on Friday and Saturday nights, when auctioneer Bruce Brock will sell 316 lots of artwork to nearly 1,000 prospective buyers, plus a dozen or so telephone bidders.

The Great Falls Advertising Federation hopes its auction will smash 2002’s record of $1.4 million in sales, said Executive Director Donna Madison.

"Based on what I’ve seen in the catalog this year, it ought to be a stellar show," Price said.

By comparison, last year’s Autry Museum of Western Heritage Show in Los Angeles offered an estimated $50 million of artwork to 10,000 potential buyers.

The Prix de West Show sponsored by the National Cowboy’s Museum in Oklahoma City is the other giant in Western art, said Jerry Peters, owner of the Peters Galleries in Sante Fe, N.M., Dallas and New York.

The Autry broke records, and other recent shows have done well, too, the dealers said.

Although the Russell Auction is smaller and doesn’t have as many top-priced pieces, that doesn’t detract from its significance, said Price.

"For those of us who attend the major art auctions, the C.M. Russell Auction sits right in there with the best of the shows that relate to the American West," he said.

And the "grab bag" nature in Great Falls adds to the appeal, Peters said. "It has a lot of midrange art, so it’s very different from the other two top Western auctions."

Price noted that Great Falls’ art week offers chances for all kinds of collectors. "You don’t have to be the highest roller in the room," he said. "There are works affordable by everyone."

Over the past three and a half decades, the Russell Auction has sold $16.4 million worth of art and generated nearly $3.7 million for the C.M. Russell Museum.

Expected to bring top dollar on Saturday is an early Russell, circa 1892, entitled "Buffalo Hunt No. 6." Lot 250, it’s valued at $200,000 to $250,000, according to the Ad Federation.

"Blackfeet at the Watering Hole" by O.C. Seltzer will also attract the heavy hitters. Lot 260, it has been valued at $65,000 to $75,000.

On Friday, Russell’s "Blackfeet Chief," valued at $60,000 to $80,000, and Kenneth Riley’s "Letter from St. Louis," valued at $50,000 to $55,000, should bring top prices. They’re lots 97 and 95a respectively.

There’s also a rare double-sided Seltzer, lot 80, which includes what appears to be a self-portrait of the artist on the back.

"There are some really outstanding works in Great Falls this year," Price said.

Array of art

And the $1 million-plus generated annually by the Russell Art Auction is only one piece of the economic picture.

"I know one person who spent $45,000 in just one visit here, all in dealer exhibition rooms," said Madison.

"Collectors who bring in good things can sell them there," agreed Dr. Kirke Nelson, owner of the Glacier Gallery in Kalispell. "I know several dealers who have sold art in their dealers’ rooms for in excess of $100,000."

In addition to the 100 dealers’ rooms in the Heritage, there are also nine other art and antique shows around town:

ãThe Native American Art Show. This event offers artwork by Indians from Montana and around the country. Its headquarters this year is in the Civic Center’s Convention Center.

Honoring Our Traditions. A newcomer this year, the event is a second Native American show at the Rainbow Retirement Community.

Western Heritage Artists Show and Sale. This Holiday Inn event features the work of about 75 artists.

The 20th annual March Antique Show and Sale, also in the Holiday Inn. It’s in the main floor convention room.

Jay Contway and Friends Art Show and Sale. The show is in the Four Seasons Exhibition Hall at Montana ExpoPark.

Manitou Galleries Auction and Sale. Sponsored by Best of the West auctions, it continues to be held in the TownHouse Inns. In room 234, Manitou Galleries will be selling 300 pieces of fine art that had been a part of the Favell Museum in Klamath Falls, Ore.

Studio 706 Artist Guild. This group’s show in Westgate Mall provides scholarships to student artists.

The Montana Cowboy Roundup Auction. Run by the Coyote Howl Auction Service of Augusta, it will be in Eagles Lodge.

Western Collectibles and Antique Gun Show. The Weapons Collectors Society of Montana will hold this event Friday and Saturday in the Four Seasons Annex at Montana ExpoPark.

Economic boost

No one really has a clue how much money this explosion of art and antiques generates for the city — only that it’s huge.

Nelson estimated that he’ll spend about $1,000 in town on hotel rooms and meals, and he guessed each dealer will end up spending about the same.

The Chamber of Commerce noted that every one of the city’s 2,009 hotel rooms will be filled for all four days of the Western Art Roundup.

If each person spent an average $103 a day, that would put $825,000 in the pockets of local merchants. That figure is probably well over $1 million, however, because many rooms are occupied by more than a single person, said Rick Evans, Chamber director.

At Elmer’s Pancake and Steak House next door to the Heritage, Manager John Toenyes estimated he’ll serve about 20 percent more meals Thursday through Saturday.

"It usually increases our business by 15 to 20 percent," he said. "But we don’t increase the staffing because people come and go all day long."

At Jaker’s, across from the TownHouse Inns, manager Stacy Abeyta plans to add three more servers and two additional cooks during the Western Art Roundup week.

"We’ll probably serve 100 to 150 more meals and do an extra $4,000 to $6,000 worth of business," Abeyta said.

Multiplied across town, the art auction becomes a substantial economic boost.

"The Russell Art Auction is an incredible draw for the city of Great Falls," said Nelson. "It’s probably greater than any other single source of revenue for local merchants."

Newhouse can be reached by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (406) 791-1485 or (800) 438-6600.