Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale opened on January 3 with a sold-out reception.
The annual Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale in Denver kicked off with its Red Carpet Reception on January 3, where VIP patrons gathered for the first chance to view and purchase artwork. The event, which ran through January 21, included pieces by 55 artists with 22 being first-time exhibitors. Recognized and up-and-coming talents were among them like William Alther, Teal Blake, Lisa Gleim, David Kammerzell, Billy Scheck, Jill Soukup and Ezra Tucker. The opening night tickets sold out and led to more than $700,000 in art sales.
Coors hosted its awards ceremony during the Blue Jean Preview on January 2. Earning the coveted Best of Show was artist Raj Chaudhuri for his painting COLORADO DAYBREAK. The award is donated by the Coors Western Art Advisory Committee and is a $2,500 cash prize. The annual Artists’ Choice went to Whitney Gardner for her painting LOVE SONG. This is a special award as fellow exhibiting artists select the work or body of work that stands out among their peers. Throughout the show’s entire run, patrons also have the chance to select their favorite artwork from the event with the People’s Choice award. This year the honoree was Valerie Gobeil for the work MOMENT OF GRACE.
Publications that are media patrons for the Coors event also select honorees from the annual show and its December counterpart, the Young Guns Reception that focuses on emerging artists, patrons and collectors. This year Southwest Art recognized S.M. Chavez for his body of work in the main Coors exhibit, while Anita Mosher Solich was the recipient of the magazine’s prize for the Young Guns event.
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