Crested Butte Arts Festival

Crested Butte Arts Festival Colorado's premier high-country fine art festival, exhibiting 150 fine artists, July 31 - Aug 2, 2026
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04/01/2026

Invitations have officially gone out to our top-ranked artists! This year's applicant pool was nothing short of extraordinary — with 550+ submissions pouring in from across the country, the talent and creativity of applicants left us truly inspired. Our mountain community is very fortunate to play host to such a remarkable celebration of the arts. Thank you to every artist who submitted work to the 2026 CBAF.

Artist work featured in this post:
Nate Laybourn:
Betsy Bracken:
JEANNE AKITA:
Brit Hansen: .art
Wyane Gao: waynegaoceramicart.com
Jory Vander Galien: joryvandergalien.com
Brandon DeNormandie: .denormandie.art
Bob Erickson: ericksonwoodworking.com
Dolan Geiman:
Richard Oliver: richardjoliver.com
Paul Counts: anamericancraftsman.com

Carol Connor creates mixed media artwork that spans intuitive abstract paintings, assemblages using found and altered ob...
03/27/2026

Carol Connor creates mixed media artwork that spans intuitive abstract paintings, assemblages using found and altered objects, and equine-themed pieces

She invites us to look deeper, into the seemingly empty spaces and below
the surfaces of the landscape of the dramatic, high Colorado alpine terrain
and into our inner worlds. She reveals ever changing environments as she
intuitively layers acrylic paint and draws with graphite, colored pencils and
sometimes adds objects onto canvas, cradled panels and paper. Her
assemblages are made with discarded pieces of rusted ranching machinery,
used ordinary household items, and more. In her equine body of work, she senses what horses think, feel and which colors express their personalities.

After studying art at Georgia State University, she discovered Crested Butte,
Colorado and moved there in 1979. She began exhibiting art there in 1981 and
continues to sell her work locally and nationally. Carol has a life-long affinity with animals and nature. She lives with her partner, horses, dog, and a variety of wildlife on a working cattle ranch near Almont , Colorado. Some of her closest friends are trees.

You can view her work online at - ._and._intuition / www.carolconnor.net

Arturo Garcia is a full-time working artist living in Colorado. He has exhibited at the Denver Art Museum, Mexican Cultu...
03/26/2026

Arturo Garcia is a full-time working artist living in Colorado. He has exhibited at the Denver Art Museum, Mexican Cultural Center, Aurora History Museum, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and has collaborated with CU Boulder, Metropolitan State University, La Napoule Art Foundation and many other not-for-profit organizations.

To view more of Arturo’s work visit his Studio/Gallery located in Denver at -
4040 Morrison Road, or online at - arturogarciafineart.com /

Dawn Cohen, born in 1972 in Savannah, Georgia, is a nature enthusiast whosechildhood by the ocean fostered my deep love ...
03/25/2026

Dawn Cohen, born in 1972 in Savannah, Georgia, is a nature enthusiast whose
childhood by the ocean fostered my deep love for the outdoors. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Georgia (1994), followed by a Master of Fine Art in painting, (2001) from Colorado State University.

Her artistic journey shifted from coastal landscapes to the captivating
mountains and deserts of Colorado. Together with Shaun Horne, she established
the Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery in 2007 and later, The Shaun Horne Gallery in Crested
Butte in 2018. These galleries showcase plein-air paintings and represent other well established landscape painters.

She has participated five times in plein-air invitationals in Crested Butte and
recently participated in the Olmstead Plein Air Invitational in Atlanta, GA
(April 2025). She has been featured in Southwest Art magazine, Women in
Art (October 2018) and was an invited artist at the Colorado Grandeur
Show with PAPA, (Plein Air Painters of America) August 2025.

Today, Dawn continues to create and sell large-scale ale plein-air paintings in
Crested Butte. "My focus for making paintings is to work outdoors and record the landscape."
Her paintings may be view online at - , shaunhornegallery.com & dawncohenfineart.com

Arly Landry is a textile artist, and co-owner of Goodday Bikeworks in Gunnison, Colorado. You can see examples of her or...
03/24/2026

Arly Landry is a textile artist, and co-owner of Goodday Bikeworks in Gunnison, Colorado. You can see examples of her original designs at - gooddaycuriosity.com /

Arly also serves as District Director for the Gunnison Creative District where she is working to enliven the city through - arts advocacy, artist resources and creative collaborations.

If one word defines Bren Corn’s portfolio, it is color. A Gunnison Valley resident of over three decades, she received h...
03/20/2026

If one word defines Bren Corn’s portfolio, it is color. A Gunnison Valley resident of over three decades, she received her BFA summa cm laude in 2000 and continues to pair family life with a disciplined devotion to her craft.

Her paintings are a masterclass in vibrant energy, exploding with a life force that feels both deliberate and wild. Her fascination with structure began during her 1991 studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The study of architecture remains her driving passion, inspiring stylized, abstracted compilations of Crested Butte’s mountain charm. Bren delights in deconstructing and reimagining landscapes. By rearranging buildings, windows, doors, and fences, even the mountain, she invites the viewer to discover something new within the canvas, even years after the first look. When she isn't reimagining townscapes, her focus shifts to the fox—the sole wildlife subject of her work. She captures them in fluid motion, honoring their existence as they jump, play, and navigate the wilderness. Her curiosity extends beyond her home valley; she frequently accepts commissions to "rearrange" other towns, bringing her signature expressionist energy to new horizons. All while spending time with her family and enjoying skiing, hiking, and all that Crested Butte has to offer each season.

You can view a selection of her work at www.brencorn.com /

03/16/2026

Jurying is underway! We are delighted to have received 545 applications to our 2026 call-to-artists. A genuine thank you to every artist who applied; the breadth and depth of this year's submissions are energizing to witness. Beginning today, our five-member jury panel will get to work reviewing and scoring each application. We expect to extend invitations to 150 selected artists by the end of the month. Stay tuned throughout the week for updates, including introductions to this year's jury panel.

03/02/2026

Find detailed exhibitor information and a link to ZAPPLICATION in our bio!

02/27/2026

We are proud to announce our 2026 AEG grantees! Funded through festival proceeds, this cycle we are redistrubuting $5000 within our local creative community. Congradulations to the following recipients:

Crested Butte Community School - Afterschool Enrichment Program
Trailhead Children's Museum - Alpenglow Art Bar
Gunnison Country Artists - Scenic Studio Tour
Artlaws of the Southwest - Thursday Artist Collective Pop-ups
Six Points - Art Club & Annual Exhibition
Leath Tonino - Poems with Wings: A Literary Field Guide and Map to the Birds of Crested Butte

Bringing Your Brand to Life is a hands-on follow-up workshop with Liza Scher that helps artists translate their brand fr...
02/10/2026

Bringing Your Brand to Life is a hands-on follow-up workshop with Liza Scher that helps artists translate their brand framework into clear, compelling action. Participants will refine portfolios, artist statements, and bios so their materials accurately reflect their voice, values, and creative focus. The session also explores how to extend your brand into your social presence with greater consistency and intention. Designed for artists ready to move from strategy to ex*****on, this workshop offers practical guidance and immediate, usable takeaways.

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601 Elk Avenue
Crested Butte, CO
81224

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