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WESTERN DESIGN CONFERENCE EXHIBIT + SALE

Each September, the return of the annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale lights up the town of Jackson, Wyoming, attracting thousands of art lovers and buyers during the Fall Arts Festival. For four days the 28,000-square-foot Snow King Event Center is transformed into the largest art gallery and design center in Jackson.

In its 28th year, the WDC Exhibit + Sale has expanded into a must-see event connecting exhibiting artists, from cowboy to contemporary, with the public, as well as other galleries and designers in Jackson. Buyers shop direct, as the WDC takes no commission. A day pass (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with complimentary happy hour is just $15.

Thursday evening’s Opening Preview Party kicks off the four-day event with a New York-style fashion show, a live auction of art by previous award winners, a Designer Show House, and the full Exhibit + Sale, with juried entries by more than 100 artists on display. While you shop, enjoy five open bars and amazing food stations, all included with a $50 general admission ticket (6 to 10 p.m.) or $125 VIP reserved seat (5:30 to 10 p.m.).

The addition of a Designer Show House to the four-day WDC Exhibit + Sale has been a brilliant way to showcase the use of functional art in a residential setting. Last year’s Designer Show House award for Best Interior Design went to Anne Buresh Interior Design. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jackson, Buresh combines her East Coast sense of elegance with the natural, wild beauty of the West. She will return to curate a room again in this year’s five- room Show House.

Also returning is Harker Design, located in Jackson, Salt Lake City and Idaho Falls. Harker has created several Designer Show House spaces, including a spectacular kitchen and living rooms, previously winning Best Interior Design twice.

WRJ Design, a Jackson firm with New York City roots, has designed rooms and a fac?ade for the Designer Show House, and last year published their book Natural Elegance: Luxurious Mountain Living, graciously signing copies at the event.

Previous award winner Jeremiah Young, of Billings, Montana, collaborated with Old Hickory and Pendleton on a bunk room and front porch. Nanette Mattei Interior Design, of Wilson, incorporated native turquoise elements in a contemporary lounge to bring forth the spirit of living in the West. The expansive, rustic porch fac?ade was constructed by B&B Builders of Rigby, Idaho, and furnished with outdoor seating and Native American textiles.

If you share a love of art, the West and shopping for one-of-a-kind handcrafted objects to create your own personal statement of natural elegance, join us at the Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale.