For immediate release

Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale
Cody, Wyoming
Contact Deb Stafford, Director
1-888-598-8119, or (307) 587-5002
info@buffalobillartshow.com

Cody Art Sales Eclipse Record

Cody, Wyo.—The 2005 Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale posted record sales of $905,920, eclipsing its previous record of $724,000 set in 2003.

A capacity crowd of 800 guests at the 24th annual event generated sales of $706,300 during the main live auction Friday night at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Sales from the live auction following Saturday’s Quick Draw were $106,700, and from two silent auctions, $92,920. Participating were 107 juried contemporary western artists from 17 states and Australia.

The highest selling pieces from the weekend were $30,000 each for an oil painting by Krystii Melaine of Gunning, NSW Australia, called “Moving Cattle,” sold during Friday’s live auction, and an oil by James Bama of Cody called “Black Elk’s Great-Great-Grandson,” sold as the result of an intent-to-purchase drawing.

Art Show Director Deb Stafford notes this year’s Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale invited seven additional artists compared to previous years and she feels the event attracted “a great crowd of supporters” who fueled sales to record levels.

Other top-selling auction items included a bronze called “Enemies Past” by Dave McGary of Paradise Valley, Ariz., $23,500; an oil by M.C. Poulsen of Cody called “Free and Unfettered,” $18,500; and an oil by John DeMott of Loveland, Colo., “Where the Trail Turned Cold,” $15,500.

The Historical Center’s William E. Weiss Purchase Award earlier contributed $17,500 to purchase “Yellowstone Lilies,” an oil by 2005 Honored Artist Melvin M. Fillerup of Cody. The award is exercised annually to acquire a piece for the Historical Center’s permanent collection.

Among highlights from the Quick Draw, sculptor Christopher J. Navarro of Casper, Wyo., established a personal record by selling 24 editions of a piece he created in one hour at the winning bid price of $1,000 each. Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey of Big Fork, Mont., attracted the highest price for a single item of $6,500 for her Quick Draw painting.

Proceeds from the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale benefit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and Cody Country Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, 307-587-5002, email info@buffalobillartshow.com, or visit www.buffalobillartshow.com.