Art in the High Desert (AHD) started with the desire to fill a void in the local arts scene. Dave Fox, his wife and business partner Carla Fox, and a small group of community arts advocates knew that Central Oregon was ready to see a broader range and higher level of art, and they were ready to bring it to Bend.
AHD is an exclusive art show, with the number of invitations to participate continually growing.
“The quality of art is consistently at a higher level in terms of our July Criteria–‘going beyond the expected, the usual’– and the level of excellence in craftsmanship,” Fox says. “This significant advance in artistic quality has, of course, changed the spirit of AHD as an event not to be missed by serious art buyers.”
Artists are selected through a thorough jury process.
“There is a four-person independent jury, which is different each year,” Fox says. “Our jurors are professionals, with extensive experience in various art fields. Some are show artists; some are gallery owners; some are art educators.”
Samples of the artists’ works are displayed during discussion. The jurors and the show director make the final decision. Then invitations to participate are sent to the artists selected.
The event is held in the Old Mill District (OMD) in Bend each year. Fox says. “The show site is extraordinary and unique,” Fox says. “And the partnership with the OMD is an important and functional business collaborations.”
Since its start 11 years ago, the event has brought together artists from all over the country to celebrate arts. “For artists, participation in AHD presents them with an opportunity to engage with an interested public, to tell their story, answer questions, and to sell some of their work,” Dave Fox says. “For the public, that engagement broadens their understanding and appreciation of the various creative endeavors of the artists.”
Join them for an amazing show representing all art mediums and see why they’ve been rated the 10th best fine art fair by Art Fair Sourcebook.
Art in the High Desert | August 24-26 | 10 am | Old Mill District, 730 SW Columbia St., Bend | Free admission | artinthehighdesert.com
