Show Preview | Night of Artists

Some of the finest contemporary artists of the American West will headline the 25th anniversary of the Night of Artists Exhibition and Art Sale at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. The exhibition kicks off March 27 and 28 with a gala weekend of events such as the Collectors Summit, a preview dinner and live auction, an artists’ awards breakfast, “Luck of the Draw” sale, and the Small Works Sale that launched in 2025. The public exhibition will follow, beginning on March 29 and running through May 10.

With more than 300 new works, the truly stellar list of more than 80 artists offers something for every collector. Many of the exhibitors are returning artists like Thomas Blackshear II, Greg Beecham, G. Russell Case, Todd Connor, Teresa Elliott, Martin Grelle, William Haskell, Donna Howell-Sickles, Mark Kohler, Joe Kronenberg, Jerry Jordan, Kyle Ma, Bonnie Marris, Walter Matia, Dean Mitchell, Ed Natiya, Don Oelze, Dustin Payne, Chad Poppleton, Howard Post, Matt Smith, Daniel Sprick and Jim Vogel. There will be, however, 16 new participants joining the show including Amery Bohling, Kevin Chupik, Phil Epp, Jon Flaming, Ron Rencher and Andrew Roda.

“We’re marking 25 years of Night of Artists, yet the Briscoe is only 13 years old,” says Liz Jackson, President and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum, in a reminder that the exhibition started as a fundraiser to help open the museum. “It is humbling and thrilling to know that the museum wouldn’t exist without the passion, commitment and faith the artists, collectors and enthusiasts have shown for Night of Artists. That’s what makes each year special—and this milestone particularly sweet.”

The entire gamut of Western subjects will be represented: the historic and contemporary West, intimate figurative works and sweeping vistas, wildlife and sporting art, classic realism and works infused with the spirit of the modern West.

Looking at a few of the many fascinating artworks in Night of Artists, Ma’s magisterial landscape LOGAN PASS, SUNRISE emerges as a quilt of textures capturing the rugged drama of this celebrated place in Glacier Park. It seems as if Ma is channeling Albert Bierstadt in this view of the peak, looming like a judgmental presence, as we approach it from below. Beyond, a cold, swirling sky rises above it, making the idea of a pass ever more formidable.

Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey’s painting ASSINIBOINE SUNDANCE SHIRT is different in both subject matter and medium. Because it is an oil on silk, the colors deepen through and across the shimmering fibers. Cawdrey’s composition transforms a shirt adorned with ermine and light and dark blue beadwork into a shamanistic form. The bow above the shirt, the dripping shadow of shirt and bow, and the dark, blood red background suggest a spirit bringing a story, a history, a culture, to life.

Kohler shares his enthusiasm for the show, saying that he is “honored to be part of the prestigious Night of Artists at the Briscoe Museum. Each year my goal is to bring new and innovative paintings that represent the spirit of Western art. After 30 years of painting the American West, I draw upon the relationships and images that I have experienced in my travels…I take my own resource photos, maintaining the authenticity, emotional depth and personal understanding of my varied subject matter.”

Kohler has four works in Night of Artists. One of them, a bright, gravity-defying painting titled HUGS & KISSES WAY UP HIGH, is among the outstanding pieces in the Small Works Sale and, like Cawdry’s painting, it is painted on an unusual support. Kohler describes the work vividly as a portrait of “the battle between working cowboys and bucking horses, which are 2,000 pounds of raw energy. This piece is oil painted on a copper panel, giving the painting a stable support and allowing the light to bounce back through the paint.”

With fascinating art and programming, the 25th anniversary of the Night of Artists at the Briscoe is poised to exceed every expectation. Jackson’s last thought says it all: “As we celebrate this milestone year, we’re also looking forward—to the next generation of artists, to new voices and new stories, and to the ways Night of Artists will continue to shape the future of the Briscoe. The West is still being written, and this event is a powerful part of that story.” —James D. Balestrieri

contact information(210) 299-4499briscoemuseum.org/noa2026

This story appeared in the February/March 2026 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.

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