Trail of Painted Buffalo leads to art auction
Published: June 26, 2009
West Yellowstone’s Painted Buffalo Herd, consisting of 26 cows and 10 calves, will roam through town for one final summer, before being auctioned to the highest bidders on Aug. 29.
In the fall of 2006, the West Yellowstone Economic Development Council (WYED) provided a new venue for artistic expression in West Yellowstone by establishing its first project: “Where the Painted Buffalo Roam.” Twenty-seven life-sized fiberglass cow buffalo molds were created, and 25 artists from four states – Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana – were commissioned to paint them. The artists expressed their creativity in three themes: Yellowstone Park, Historic West Yellowstone and the American Indian.
The buffalo were unveiled in June 2007 and have been the highlight of the town’s sidewalks and businesses ever since. In 2008, one new artist and nine of the original artists were commissioned to paint 10 buffalo calves, which joined their mothers roaming the streets of West Yellowstone.
According to John Greve, co-chair of the Painted Buffalo Events Committee, the project offers an opportunity “to showcase the talent, hard work and colorful expressions of these artists and share the wild, western, Native American and railroad heritage of the area with people from around the world.”
This summer, visitors may follow the “Trail of the Painted Buffalo” with maps available from local sponsors and the West Yellowstone Visitor Center. The trail offers an opportunity to explore and uncover the secrets of each artist’s work and collect a few rewards from sponsors along the way.
The herd gathers one last time Aug. 20-26 at the Yellowstone Historic Center and then moves to the Grand Hall at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, where the painted buffalo will be available for viewing Aug. 27-29 in conjunction with the annual West Yellowstone Regional Art Show.
Meet the artists during a reception, 5-7 p.m. Aug. 28. The auction is 5-7 p.m. Aug. 29, with silent bidding available during the months leading up to the auction at www.wyed.org. Auction proceeds benefit the artists, local non-profit organizations and future WYED projects.
