POSTED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015
History encourages people to stop repeating past mistakes. It has also inspired timeless stories of war and peace.
In Jackson history has made its mark on nine artists who have created work for a collaboration between the Art Association of Jackson Hole and the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum.
Asked to fashion pieces that are inspired by the museum’s collection, the artists made ceramic pots, collages, paintings, prints and other projects.
Their art is now on sale at the museum’s location at 225 N. Cache St. Some of the artists also made work for the museum’s second location, which is at the corner of Glenwood Street and Deloney Avenue.
“The Art Association has blossomed in the last few years,” contributing artist Valerie Seaberg said. “This is one example of how we are starting to realize the dream we had, which was to become more collaborative and have projects that are really synergistic.”
Museum board member Bill Best thought of enlisting the help of the association when he and his wife were discussing the gift items listed in Smithsonian Magazine.
“They have various catalog items based on their collections,” Best said. “We decided it would be fun to get a group of artists together, have them look at our collection and create art that relates to it.”
Interested in Best’s idea, the association’s employees recruited several artists who work in different mediums.
“We asked artists to submit proposals,” said Alison Brush, the association’s director of development and community relations. “The proposals were reviewed and nine artists were selected.”
For her collection of works, Seaberg used American Indian burnishing techniques to make ceramic pots.