(Photo courtesy of High Desert Museum)
It’s almost time for the return of Bend’s biggest little art event, The 20-Dollar Art Show! Presented by Bright Place Gallery, this year’s exhibition will feature a record 6,041 original works by 272 artists. Sizing a maximum 36 square inches, each piece will be priced at just $20, allowing art lovers to bring home unique creations from both established and emerging artists.
This year’s featured works will be on view at the High Desert Museum starting Monday, October 14, and sales will begin with an exciting opening night extravaganza on Friday, October 18. During the extravaganza, attendees are invited to take the art they wish to purchase off of the Museum walls and home with them. Tickets for this popular event are on sale now at highdesertmuseum.org/20-art-show-info. Admission is $5 per adult with ages 16 and under entering for free. Space is limited and tickets sell quickly, so early purchase is recommended.
Bright Place Gallery, led by Stuart Breidenstein and Abby Dubief, first launched The 20-Dollar Art Show as a platform for artists to showcase their work and engage with the community in a supportive environment. Since its inception in 2013, The 20-Dollar Art Show has grown significantly. In 2019, the show featured over 2,100 pieces and sold 900 artworks on opening night alone. Five years later, the show is back stronger than ever, with significantly more featured artists and artwork than in previous years.
“Events like The 20-Dollar Art Show play an important role in supporting our mission to inspire curiosity and foster connections within the community,” said Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D., executive director of the Museum. “The opening extravaganza is a vibrant celebration that encourages conversation and connection while giving emerging artists a valuable platform to reach a broader audience.”
“We’re delighted to continue our partnership with the High Desert Museum,” said Bright Place Gallery owner Stuart Breidenstein. “This year’s show has seen an incredible response from artists, and we’re excited to present such a large and diverse collection of artwork to the community.”
The opening night event on October 18 will be held from 5:30-8:30pm. Guests are invited to purchase mini masterpieces for the low price of $20, enjoy live music, food, drink and more.
After the opening night extravaganza, a second wave of artwork will refill the walls and be open for purchases through Monday, October 21, at 5pm. Those who would like first pick of the artwork added on Saturday, October 19 can purchase $5 tickets to browse from 9-11am before the show opens to all Museum visitors — from Saturday after 11am through Monday people coming to the Museum exclusively for The 20-Dollar Art Show but not visiting the rest of the Museum are welcome without paying admission. On Saturday morning, multiple participating artists will be on hand creating 20-dollar art live. Tickets for the Saturday morning show are $5 and will also go on sale on Wednesday, September 25 at 12pm at highdesertmuseum.org/20-art-show-info.
One-hundred percent of the proceeds from each $20 piece directly supports the artist, making every purchase a meaningful contribution to the local art community. The 20-Dollar Art Show is made possible by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, The Clabough Foundation and the Visit Central Oregon Future Fund with support from The Source Weekly.
