When Kate Hlavin, the curator at the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, started making calls about the 2025 edition of the popular Denver show, a question emerged from several artists: “Is this going to be a contemporary Western show or a traditional one?”
Perplexed by the seemingly well-meaning inquiry, Hlavin was quick to whittle her answer down to one succinct point: “It’s going to be neither,” she says. “What is contemporary and what is traditional? It was driving me nuts. Contemporary to one person was not contemporary to another. Even ‘Western art’ itself can be a loaded term. To me it’s about place, people, landscape and lifestyle. It’s incorporating all of those themes into one show. It’s not contemporary or traditional. It’s the very best of Western art.”
Donna Howell-Sickles, Waiting at the Gate, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 60 in.
Hlavin was named as the Coors curator in September 2023, at a time when the 2024 show had mostly been settled and organized prior to its January 2024 opening. But as soon as that show ended, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work on what would be her first proper show as curator in 2025. She has worked in Western galleries and auctions for all of her career, so connecting with artists was a welcome return to something she enjoyed. “Working with artists is the best. From there, it was all about exploring what’s out there and really coming up with a roster that I felt was interesting and diverse in what we’re offering. I wanted to have a cohesive roster of what I felt was the very best and most interesting depictions of the American West.”
David Kammerzell, Flapper Cowgirl, oil, 14 x 11 in.
Gone are rules or guidelines set from past Coors shows. Hlavin is free to chart her own path forward. “This show is more open. It’s more accessible. It’s fresh. And I’m thrilled that there seems to be a lot of energy from people who want to come out and support it,” she says, noting that more than 550 artists applied to be part of the show that would eventually feature around 88 artists working in a variety of mediums. “I think change is a great thing. And I think with change there’s a level of excitement that comes with that.”
Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale,which is part of the National Western Stock Show, will take place January 6 and 7 at the CSU Spur’s Hydro Building in Denver. Each of the 88 artists is expected to have six pieces available for purchase.
Logan Maxwell Hagege, The Day Falls, oil, 24 x 36 in.
Among the artists participating are Teal Blake, Nocona Burgess, Shawn Cameron, Jill Carver, G. Russell Case, Sean Michael Chavez, Scott Christensen, Sushe Felix, Danny Galieote, Whitney Gardner, Starr Hardridge, Quang Ho, Jennifer Johnson, Greg Kelsey, Amy Lay, William Matthews, Jim Morgan, Ken Peloke, Billy Schenck, Matt Smith, Joshua Tobey, Jeremy Winborg, Star York and Dennis Ziemienski. This year’s featured artist is Duke Beardsley, the prominent Pop artist who lives in Colorado.
One popular artist making a triumphant return is Logan Maxwell Hagege, who last participated in the show in 2010. “I’m excited to be showing again in the Coorsshow after a long break,” Hagege said after he announced he was coming back to the show. “Some friends on the board invited me to return, and the timing felt perfect. I’ve always loved the Denver art scene and its incredible audience, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to present my work here again.”
Michael Ome Untiedt, You Will Ride for Your True Cause, and I Will Ride for Mine, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in.
David Kammerzell will be showing his Western figures, many of them posed against elaborate floral backgrounds. “I’m thrilled and honored to be showing my work in such a prestigious event. My work walks a fine line between traditional and contemporary aesthetics. But perhaps it leans a bit more towards contemporary,” he says. “While Western art seems to have an enduring popularity, it also seems to re-invent itself from time to time. The Coors show embraces this ever-changing environment with enthusiasm and likewise introduces these visions to new collectors.”
For Arizona painter Matt Smith, shows live and die by the quality of the artists and the excitement they build for collectors. “When I heard many of my close artist friends would be returning to the Coors show I decided to join them,” he says. “It’s just that simple. Get the best artists and everything else falls into place. We are all excited about the show’s new management, direction and future.”
Star York, Watch Cat, bronze, 18 x 58 x 25 in.
Arizona sculptor Curt Mattson will be bringing his classic cowboy bronzes, including At Close Quarters, which shows a single horse and rider. “[It has] a vaquero from Arizona in the 1800s who has encountered a band of raiding Apaches. This vaquero is leaving as quickly as possible, with his pursuers close behind,” Mattson says. “Over the Moon is a contemporary take on the mustang of the West. It tells the story of how the horse, with its noble and tough character, is also unique in that if they are trained according to their needs, they will give their all for their rider.”
Starr Hardridge, Forces of Nature, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 in.
Michael Ome Untiedt, based in Denver, won’t have to travel far to his first Coors. He attends many art events throughout the year, but he adds that he’s excited a show of this caliber is in his hometown, and he can now be a part of it. “Having been born and raised in southeastern rural Colorado, I am excited to participate in the Coors as many of the people I was raised participating in the stock show rodeo or showing livestock in the judging arena. It is a chance for many…to see what I have done with my life, as I am sure many of them doubted I would do anything with a wasted hippy life,” Untiedt says. “I will be showing the same type of work I have completed for the past 20 years. I like to think of it as 21st-century psychology on a 19th-century saddle.”
Matt Smith, A Touch of Autumn, oil on linen, 12 x 16 in.
The artist adds he paints from experiences and thoughts, and refuses to paint “cowboy camera art” or Native Americans, whose images and cultures have been stolen from enough. “I paint the culture and people I come from and understand,” he says, “and [I] welcome Native Americans to do the same for themselves and their pasts.”
Also in this year’s show is Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey, who says she was honored to be asked, especially after she saw the roster of artists who would be showing alongside her. “There are many very accomplished artists out there who deserve to be shown at this level, and I am happy that Kate and her team are acknowledging that,” Cawdrey says. “Anything a show can do to attract young collectors is a bigplus.”
Curt Mattson, At Close Quarters, bronze, 17 x 15 x 7 in.
The show kicks off January 6 with the Blue Jean Preview, starting at 5:30 p.m. This will allow collectors to get the first glimpses of the art available for purchase. There will also be an award ceremony, during which nine artists will be celebrated for participating in Coors for more than 20 years. The next morning, on January 7, will be the Winter West Symposium, which will include a presentation by painter Bill Anton and also demonstrations by Raj Chaudhuri, Jennifer Johnson and Whitney Gardner. There will also be a panel discussion with Brandon Bailey, Lisa Gordon and others. The event, which includes brunch, begins at 10 a.m. and runs through 1 p.m.
Josh Tobey, Alpha, Charlie & Echo, bronze, 6½ x 9 x 3 in.
The Red Carpet Reception, the main event of the show, will start at 5:30 p.m. on January 7. The sale will be conducted by a fixed-price, by-draw sale. Hlavin emphasizes that every accommodation has been considered for bidders who can’t attend the sale, including proxy and absentee bidding. After the sale, the show will continue to hang through the National Western Stock Show. “There is always such a great turnout during that show and we sell more of the work, including to international collectors who are in town,” Hlavin says. “We are expecting a lot of people to see the show.”
As always with the Coors show, the art sale benefits the National Western Scholarship Trust, which offers scholarships to students studying agriculture. —
Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale
January 6-7, 2025
CSU Spur’s Hydro Building
4777 National Western Drive Denver, CO 80216
(303) 291-2567, coorswesternart.com
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