Did you know that Jackson Hole is a veritable mecca for art? In 2024, it was named the No. 1 Arts Vibrant Community in the U.S. by SMU DataArts.
Local artists live and breathe the area. Photographers brave all kinds of weather to get that perfect shot of the Tetons, as well as capture stunning pictures of wild critters and winged wonders.
Town Square is chock-a-block with galleries. Sculptures of wildlife can not only be found on the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s famed Sculpture Trail but also at the entrance to the airport, along a couple of highways going to and from town and Grand Teton National Park, on the road out to Teton Village, at R Park, on the Center for the Arts lawn, and many more locations.
There are art fairs galore year-round; they’re everywhere and anywhere and sometimes all at once. Here’s our guide to the what and the where of art in Jackson Hole.
GALLERIES
Jackson Hole is home to more than 25 world-class art galleries. You can easily pick up the current year’s “Jackson Hole Gallery Guide” at any of the visitor centers in town, or download the Jackson Hole Commerce’s guide here to begin your cultural journey through one of America’s most inspiring art destinations.
In the myriad of galleries, you will find Native American art and jewelry, world-class wildlife photography, fine blown glass, and paintings and sculptures that capture the spirit of the West. Just some of the galleries we suggest you peruse are Mangelsen: Images of Nature, Gallery Wild, Two Grey Hills, Quent Cordair Fine Art, Ringholz Studios, Altamira, Medicine Bird, Turner Fine Art, Gold Mountain Gallery, and Wild By Nature. The Jackson Hole History Museum is another location to explore art, photographs and artifacts of the town and the surrounding area.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART
A national museum located here in this small northwestern corner of Wyoming? Yessir! And it is nothing short of amazing.
Situated on a cliff overlooking the National Elk Refuge, the National Museum of Wildlife Art was designed and built to blend in with the soil, sage and rocks of said hill. The one-quarter-mile iconic Sculpture Trail surrounds the building on three sides, offering an ever-changing view of art in the wild. An ongoing project, the trail will eventually feature nearly 30 permanent and temporary works of wildlife sculptures.
In June of each year, the art museum holds its "Plein Air Fest," when nearly 50 invited artists are given one day to create new masterpieces outside.
The museum’s galleries and exhibits feature more than 550 artists and over 5,000 cataloged items of animal art. In these exhibits, you’ll see work by prominent artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Robert Kuhn, John James Audubon, and Carl Rungius.
In addition to the galleries — including a special children’s discovery gallery — you can visit the museum’s shop and have lunch with an artful view all its own at Palate, which overlooks the expansive refuge and Snow King Mountain.
RELATED STORY: Visit the National Museum of Wildlife Art
ART ASSOCIATION OF JACKSON HOLE
The Art Association has made visual art a vital part of creative life in Jackson Hole for more than 60 years.
The association’s home is in the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts. This vibrant nonprofit is one of Wyoming’s leading visual arts education resources. It sponsors several art fairs a year (see section below for details), including two renowned and popular ones during the summer. The facility provides more than 10,000 square feet of space to learn, practice and exhibit art, and includes an art supply store. This store is a bonus not just for local artists and craftspeople, but also for visitors.
JACKSON HOLE'S CENTER FOR THE ARTS
The Center for the Arts opened in 2007 and has been named the nation’s top small arts community according to the SMU DataArts 2023 Arts Vibrancy Index that identifies the 40 most arts-vibrant communities in the U.S. through an analysis of the level of supply, demand and government support for the arts in more than 900 communities across the country.
In 2025, the Center was named "Best Entertainment Venue" in the Best of Jackson Hole contest.
The Center strives to make the arts accessible to anyone who desires to experience a diverse range of art forms, including concerts, art exhibits and fairs, theatrical performances, lectures, dance productions, film festivals, and more.
RELATED STORY: Visit the Center For the Arts
ART FAIRS
Art fairs take place year-round in Jackson Hole, so no matter what time of year you visit, you can ogle and purchase all manner of homemade/original items from local and regional artisans, such as ceramics, fibers, painting, glass, photography, and mixed media.
The Art Association presents two fairs in the summer — one in July and one in August — in addition to Arts on the Green during the annual Fall Arts Festival in September and a Holiday Bazaar in early December.
There are weekly farmer’s markets in the summer and winter that include booths for local artists: Slow Food in the Tetons’ markets and the Jackson Hole Farmer’s Market, which takes place Saturday mornings from late June to late September. Other art fairs/markets include pop-up ones at Healthy Being Juicery and the Jackson Hole History Museum, the summer Arts & Antique Shows in Teton Village and at the Horseshoe Fest events in July and August.
Check our monthly calendar for listings of the abovementioned art fairs and others.
FALL ARTS FESTIVAL
The grande dame of art festivals in Jackson Hole — and in the Rocky Mountain West as a whole — is the Fall Arts Festival, which takes place in early September for 12 jam-packed days of visual, contemporary, culinary, Western, landscape, wildlife, and Native American arts.
This premier cultural event has been held for more than 40 years and brings collectors and art aficionados from all over the world to Jackson Hole. Events range from gallery walks throughout Town Square, the Annual Jackson Hole Quick Draw art sale and auction, and the Jackson Hole Art Auction, Western Visions Exhibit at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Teton Village Art and Culinary Trail, and the Showcase of Homes, presented by Jackson Hole Traveler's sister publication, Homestead.
RELATED STORY: Fall Arts Festival in Jackson Hole
THE LAST WORD
As you can see, Jackson Hole isn’t just defined by the mighty Tetons, varied wildlife, first-class ski resorts, nearby national parks, and the Wild West cowboy culture. Art is clearly also a vital part of its culture.