Art Fair Jackson Hole
Every summer, artisans from throughout the country descend on Jackson Hole. Their sights aren’t set on summiting craggy peaks or hooking into shadowy river hogs. Their destination is a flat, green lawn beneath Snow King Mountain where a city within a city sprouts: Art Fair Jackson Hole.
It’s a place where woodworkers, embroiderers, potters, and jewelers all become neighbors. There are marble boardgame makers from Sandy City, Utah, and colorful quilts crafted in Lander, Wyoming. You’ll find organic soap that makes your nostrils sing from Helena, Montana; glass creations from Hotchkiss, Colorado; and handcrafted leather goods from Salmon, Idaho. That’s not even touching on the photographers and painters of all stripes, flourishes, and backgrounds.
This city is brought to life every year by the nonprofit Art Association of Jackson Hole. According to its marketing manager, Josie Weiland, some artists plan their year around the Art Fair, traveling from homes in Oregon, Washington, California, Missouri, Virginia, and Florida to showcase their artistic souls.
The media, similar to the cast of characters, are diverse: some hands take up bygone practices by weaving sheep’s wool or working leather. Others delve into new, less-charted territories such as infrared photography. Still others dig into the humble and find fertile creative ground in refining everyday objects such as feathers or tree stumps.
The Art Fair has been around as long as the Art Association has: nearly sixty years. It springs up for two weekends every summer in July and August. Artists set up shop Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Association’s origin story stems from a dearth of art programming in Jackson Hole, coupled with a lack of space for local artists to showcase their creations.
The Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyoming, USA.
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Attendees peruse the artist booths at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Natalie Smith and her painting at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Natalie Smith and her painting at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Cari Faye and her work at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
“Mothers in this community saw a need for supplemental arts education for their children,” Josie says. “That snowballed into adult classes, and then into local makers needing the opportunity to sell their work. There was a gap that needed to be filled.”
Where the Art Fair blooms has changed over the years. Now it’s firmly planted on the Center for the Arts lawn, where the Association has found a stable home for creators to connect with five thousand valley dwellers and tourists each weekend.
“It’s grown in attendance and participating artists,” Josie says. “Jackson Hole has really built notoriety as a wonderful arts oasis in the West.”
Word of mouth has propelled interest. Every year, the Art Association thoughtfully selects from the many submissions the one hundred and fifty artists who will participate.
“It’s a juried show with an anonymous application, and not everyone is accepted,” Josie says. “We want to present the very best artists at a variety of options, mediums, and price points.”
Josie says she loves to take a break from working the event to wander around, get lost in the sights, and maybe grab a bite from one of the food trucks.
“The end result is so fun, there’s such high energy. It’s almost like walking into a market in a big city … you can get lost wandering.”
The price to wander is $6 for adults and free for kids twelve and under. It’s the Art Association’s largest fundraising event of the year, with the money going toward its mission: to offer community art classes and events, and to support art-making in Jackson Hole.
The Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyoming, USA.
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Attendees admire the work of painter Steve Knox at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
The metal work of Jay Kim at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Amanda Krolczyk and her work at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBSBS
The work of Amanda Krolczyk at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Michael Meissner paints on site at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Wyoming, USA
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Attendees admire the lamps from Cody Barney of Wyoming Rustic Creations at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Attendees peruse the booths at the Jackson Hole Art Fair on August, 15, 2025 at the Center for the Arts.
Photo by DAVID STUBBS
Particularly impactful for Josie is the artist of El Huizache Studio, from Santa Ana, California, who comes year after year. Alejandro Mendoza makes artisanal woven rugs using natural dyes derived from botanicals, an ancient method from his Mexican tradition. Inside his tent, art fair-goers can find live demonstrations.
“The artist said that this technique has been in his family for many generations,” Josie says. “This ancient methodology is incredible to see in 2026. There are jars of botanicals for the natural pigments. Grasses, insects, and sunflowers all lend to their dyeing.”
The fair provides a rare space for lesser-known artists to connect with people through their work. This is the guiding light driving Josie through the labor of love it takes to bring the Art Fair to life each summer.
“There’s such great camaraderie among artists. All of the artists are exchanging numbers and buying each other’s pieces,” she says. “It’s so fun to see folks leaving with their new jewelry, new scarf, or a new five-foot-tall piece. There’s a real exchange between the community and our artists.”
She hopes the Art Fair inspires people to create; to see that there is no hierarchy of media or competition between forms. All can coexist.
“Maybe you see different applications of a medium that you’ve tried before or you see someone create etchings into a scratchboard, and then fill in the etchings with pigment,” Josie says. “Inspiration is all around.”
In 2026, Art Fair Jackson Hole will run July 24–26 and August 14–16. Friday and Saturday hours are 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Sunday hours are 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
