the Western & Wildlife Art Show Ft Robinson State Park Veterinary Hospital
About the Show
THE WESTERN & WILDLIFE ART SHOW is LIVE each year July 2nd through July 4th, at historic Fort Robinson State Park, Nebraska. The Western & Wildlife Art Show is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation operating under the name Fort Robinson Centennial, Inc. The Art Show has been an annual event since 1973 - in 2023, it celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Local, regional, and out-of-state artists apply and are vetted by the Board of Directors, bringing the finest quality workmanship to the show year after year.
An annual highlight is the “Best of Show” award, given in both the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional categories, chosen by an independent guest judge from outside the show. Another favorite is the “People’s Choice” award, chosen by the vote of patrons viewing the show. Making its debut in 2024 is the "Excellence in Art" award, honoring an artist whose work especially seems to capture the show's themes of the great outdoors and traditional western lifestyle. At the conclusion of each year's show, the Board of Directors announces its choice for the subsequent year's Featured Artist.
Always a favorite, The Children’s Wall of Art Contest is July 3rd from 10am - 12noon for age groups 2 to 18 years old. Registration includes a permission slip and a small fee for materials to create a piece of art on-site, with no assistance - only moral support - from parents. Awards will be presented at 1pm after the judge selects 3 winners in each age group.
The Western & Wildlife Art Show proudly presents the juried art of over twenty artists from across the country. The gallery will be opened at no charge to the general public, 10am - 6pm July 2nd and 3rd, and 9am - 4pm July 4th. Artists have a wide variety of their work for sale in their individual booths.
We hope you will join us to experience this iconic local event, held in the Veterinary Hospital at Historic Ft. Robinson State Park.
A Fort Robinson/NE State Park permit is required - violators will be ticketed by Park Police.
Limited handicapped parking is available.
PLEASE LEAVE PETS AT HOME - service animals are welcome.
History
In the early 1970’s, local artists of note decided to have an Art Show open to the public, and were offered the upper floor of the Lodge at Fort Robinson for the inaugural event. Although the show enjoyed good attendance, the room was uncomfortably warm and space was limited.
Retired General Robinson met with Park Superintendent Vance Nelson after viewing both the Park and the Show and suggested that military horses should be honored and remembered in a more public way. He proposed that the Vet Hospital could serve as an Art Gallery for a few days each year.
It took some time to clean up the building, and for a time only the east part of the hospital was used for the Art Show. As the Show grew, the rest of the building was also cleaned up to accommodate expansion.
In February 1972, Fort Robinson Centennial, Inc. was registered with the State of Nebraska and was identified on April 11, 2016 by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) corporation.
As the Show blossomed and gained a following, its name became the Western & Wildlife Art Show.
The WWAS is held annually July 2-4 in the Historic Fort Robinson State Park Veterinary Hospital, leased through "History Nebraska" Nebraska State Historical Society (formerly Nebraska Museum Board), and through the hospitality of Fort Robinson State Park.
A tradition over the Fourth of July holiday each year, the WWAS brings in 2500 -3000 visitors to see and purchase juried fine art from up to 25 artists. The Show is free to the public.
The Western & Wildlife Art Show Board of Directors is always searching for new artists to join this prestigious show. It can be contacted through this site at any time.
Source: Vance Nelson, former Superintendent of Fort Robinson State Park.