The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis held its 20th annual “Quest for the West®” Art Show and Sale in September 2025, inviting artists, and first-time and experienced art collectors for a weekend celebration of Western American art. “Quest for the West®” is a two-day art show that showcased 159 newly created works across medium and genre by 48 contemporary artists from across the country that remained on view through Oct. 5, 2025 as a public art exhibition.
“Quest for the West®” is a major initiative for the museum, building awareness for art inspired by the American West and artists who work in the genre, while also raising the profile of the museum as a regional and national destination and institution. The 20th annual event achieved a new sales record of $1.33 million, according to the museum, with 113 artworks purchased during the “Quest” main sale, and another 42 smaller works sold during the miniature sale, with additional sales since then.
First held in September 2006, “Quest for the West®” is presented by The Western Art Society and Avis Foundation Inc. It is Eiteljorg’s biggest annual fundraising event, with artists and the museum sharing in the art sales proceeds. During two fixed-price, luck-of-the-draw sales, guests could purchase art and meet the artists who created the works.
“The 20th annual Quest for the West® Art Show and Sale was a remarkable opportunity for art collectors who are passionate about the American West to connect with some of the finest contemporary Western artists working today,” said Kathryn Haigh, president and chief executive officer at Eiteljorg Museum. “The extraordinary caliber of the artwork, combined with the Eiteljorg’s national reputation for excellence and our one-of-a-kind Hoosier hospitality, contributed to this year’s success.”
The 2025 event featured established artists making their first appearances at “Quest”: Starr Hardridge, Muscogee Creek; David Jonason; Z.S. Liang; Bonnie Maris; Jill Soukup; and Preston Singletary, Tlingit, who is renowned for his work with glass sculpture. Returning artists also included Tim Cherry, Robert Griffing, Donna Howell-Sickles, Mark Kelso, Krystii Melaine, P.A. Nisbet, Heide Presse, and Daniel Smith, among others.
The 2025 “Quest for the West®” included a Miniature Art Sale on Friday, Sept. 5, in which many artists created works at a smaller scale for first-time buyers and those looking for smaller pieces; and the Main Art Sale on Saturday, Sept. 6, featuring three bidding periods and a banquet in which artists received awards in multiple categories. The top prize at “Quest for the West®” was the Harrison Eiteljorg Purchase Award, presented to Sean Michael Chavez of Albuquerque, Nex Mexico for “Rebeldes Look (Noche),” a 40-by-30-inch oil on canvas painting. The work was purchased for the museum’s permanent collection through the support of The Western Art Society.
Some of the awards include the Artist of Distinction Award for Tim Cherry’s “Danger from Above,” 2025, bronze sculpture; the Cyrus Dallin Award for Best Sculpture for Pati Stajcar’s “Slow Roll,” 2025, carved wood work; and the Henry Farny Award for Best Painting for Dave Santillanes’ “Treasure,” 2025, oil work. Santillanes also received the Victor Higgins Award of Distinction for best overall body of work presented at the show. David Griffin was the recipient of the Artists’ Choice Award for “The Art of Wandering,” an oil and linen work on board; P.A. Nisbet received the Patrons’ Choice Award for “Land of Shadows,” an oil on linen work; and Krystii Melaine was awarded the Miniature Art Show Patrons’ Choice Award for “Silent Sentinel,” a 12-by-12-inch oil on linen panel.
The 2025 event also featured guest speaker and leading scholar of American art, Dr. Mindy N. Besaw, Ph.D., the new director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University-Bloomington. Besaw, who has over two decades of curatorial and museum leadership, discussed reframing the West based on her work co-curating the traveling exhibition “Knowing the West” at the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
For 36 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of downtown Indianapolis and scenic White River State Park. The Eiteljorg Museum explores the intersection of the arts, histories, and cultures of the past and present by sharing the diverse stories of the American West and the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Located on the Central Canal, the Eiteljorg is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The “Quest” art exhibition, continuing through Oct. 5, is included with regular Eiteljorg Museum admission.
Registration for the 2026 “Quest for the West®” Art Show and Sale opens February 2026 and will take place September 11 and September 12, 2026 with the public exhibition running from September 13 to October 11, 2026. The museum is also accepting applications for its upcoming Eiteljorg Indian Market & Festival, which will take place June 27 and June 28, 2026. The annual festival is a celebration of American Indian, First Nations, and Alaskan Native Cultures featuring work from more than 100 Native Artists, and cultural performances like music, dance, and storytelling, family art-making activities.
First published in Great Lakes By Design: Bold Graphics, Volume 9, Issue 4. Updated Feb. 2026.
Text: R.J. Weick