Back in 2013, local artist and owner of Bright Place Gallery Stuart Breidenstein came up with an idea: Make art accessible and affordable... and help artists sell it. A lot of it. That idea became the 20-Dollar Art Show, where locals could pick up art—and a lot of it. Artists who didn't always have the opportunity to grace the walls of local galleries could get into the groove of selling their art, giving them the confidence to go out and sell more of it. Formerly taking place at Bright Place Gallery on Bend's east side before the gallery's eventual closure, the show, back this year after a COVID-induced hiatus, has expanded to the walls of the High Desert Museum, where there's more space for all the works of art—many of them small in size—to be on display. And unlike some other shows, this one allows artists to keep all of the profits from the sale of their works.
"When we closed our doors in December 2019 we vowed that the 20-Dollar Art Show would return to Bend," Breidenstein wrote on the Bright Place Gallery website. "Covid pulled 2020's plug. But now in 2021, we're teaming up with The High Desert Museum to bring the show back bigger and better than ever!"
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Darris Hurst
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Abbie Dubief, Stuart Breidenstein and volunteers made sure the 20-Dollar art show would go on.
Breidenstein and company held the 20-Dollar Art Show's opening reception Sat., Oct. 30, with attendees and art-buyers snaking around the grounds of the museum for a chance to score some of the artwork. MC'ing the event was local artist and musician Mosely WOtta, with special guest Killy Holiday.
Days—if not weeks—beforehand, Breidenstein and his partner labored over the hanging of each individual piece of art. In total, some 2,100 pieces had to be hung, representing the work of over 120 local and regional artists.
Popular local artists selling works at the show included Monica Helms, Abby Dubief, Amanda Toms and Evan Namkung. (The Source Weekly's own designer Erica Durtschi also had works in the show.)
"We are thrilled to move this event to the Museum," Breidenstein said. "The 20-Dollar Art Show had grown beyond the walls of the Bright Place Gallery, and the Museum allows us the opportunity to make it bigger and better."
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Darris Hurst
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Hanging some 2,100 pieces of art was no small feat for Stuart Breidenstein and his team of art lovers.
This week's Source Weekly cover shows some of the art that went up for sale. In order to allow visitors to see the complete show, art-buyers had to wait a few days to get their purchased items. Those who bought pieces on opening night could begin collecting their new works starting Nov. 1 through the show's closing on Nov. 10.
20-Dollar Art Show
Through Nov. 10, Daily 10am-4pm
High Desert Museum
59800 US-97, Bend
brightplacegallery.com
highdesertmuseum.org
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