Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN September 13-October 11
IN ONE OF the Western art circuit’s most anticipated events—the 21st annual Quest for the West at the Eiteljorg Museum—50 top artists who find their artistic inspiration from the genre will exhibit. Kicking off the event is the art sale weekend, which will take place September 11 and 12. The museum will host a miniature sale on September 11 while the main fixed-price sale and an evening of fine dining happens September 12. The show opens to the public on September 13 and remains on view until October 11. From August 22 to September 27, the museum will also host an exhibition of the works of sculptor Tim Cherry, winner of the 2025 show’s Quest Artist of Distinction award.
Since its inception, Quest has stood out among museum shows, according to Bryn Foreman, Eiteljorg associate curator of Western American art. Foreman explains, “Quest is unique for a few different reasons, one of which is certainly geography. While Indiana certainly was once the ‘old Northwest,’ it’s never been the land of adobe-style architecture and cattle drives. In addition, the Eiteljorg’s collection is 80 percent Native American art, giving this Western show a distinct context.”
What is perhaps even more unique about the show is the selection of works that suggest a more contemporary take on Western art, with pop influences, irony, humor, and bold forms and colors. Foreman agrees, saying, “Quest can be broken down into three main categories: artists that one might consider ‘veterans’ of Western American art, with a well-established client base developed over a career, primarily working stars’ who are often pushing boundaries with media and styles, giving us the broader, contemporary feeling; and a small handful of emerging artists showing immense talent and potential to redefine the West itself. This final group is where I think we are most ahead of the curve.”
Look at just about any of the works that will be in the exhibition and all that Foreman says will be immediately evident. Maeve Eichelberger’s NECTAR, for example, is a translucent, three-dimensional sculpture, a saddle adorned with Day-Glo green, yellow and orange blossoms, leaves and branches, as if a saddle of tooled with representational imagery; ‘rising leather might be one of nature’s overlooked canvases.
Kevin Chupik’s painting PLANET MOJAVE superimposes an urban bus or train station onto a desert landscape as a cowboy in the classic costume sits on one of the brightly painted plastic seats. Perhaps the station is where the cowboy is while the desert is where he wants to be. Perhaps the desert—and his garb—are a memory—his memory, or a memory of the West itself? Chupik paints the juxtapositions and leaves the answers to us.
Foreman finishes, “What makes Quest truly special, though, is the quality of the art, the caliber of the artists, and the hospitality and care shown for those artists,” which is about as good a summary as anyone could ask for. —James D. Balestrieri
contact informationeiteljorg.org/quest-for-the-west
This story appeared in the August/September 2026 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.
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