Has the Fall Arts Festival Evolved Into a Community Staple?

Palates and Palettes — also known as simply an upgraded iteration of the town’s weekly “art walk” to many — is the official start of the September Fall Arts Festival. It’s an evening where all of the galleries open their doors for people to experience the Jackson art scene with surrounding restaurants catering food and drinks for free.

Residents and visitors alike have the opportunity to experience downtown Jackson from a different perspective, divergent from rugged days exploring peaks and valleys, but no further from the nature that inspires awe in all who pass through the valley.

It’s a marker of change. Kirsten Corbett of the Jackson Hole History Museum has watched the transition from the summer season into a mellow autumn for years in downtown Jackson.

“I really look at the fall period as a chance to get back into the galleries and back into the pulse of what’s happening in the art world around town,” Corbett said. “It’s one of those things that changes yet stays the same.”

Anecdotally, many residents who have spent years in Jackson will recollect fondly (or, depending on how many free glasses of prosecco they consumed, might not) the art walk as an opportunity to indulge in and imbibe free snacks and drinks in the sunset light while brushing shoulders with neighbors of all different statuses and backgrounds. Musicians and bands will often be scattered in different locales throughout town, like at the green space between the Bunnery and JC Jewelers Jackson Hole on North Cache Street, or tucked into romantic corners at the entrance of Altamira Fine Art on Center Street.

Jane Durden of the Maya Frodeman Gallery sees it too. Last year was her first Palates and Palettes event.

“The crowd is so different at Palates and Palettes,” Durden said. “I would say [the crowd] is a more clear reflection of the community as a whole.”

It hasn’t always been that way, though.

Initially, the intent of the walk was to boost a lackluster fall economy, as summer visitation shrank to almost nothing and Teton-area businesses sought a solution. There is no consistent year-over-year data surrounding specific Palates and Palettes attendance since it began in 1985 given its open-format style, but data on hotel stays show that the highest visitation levels in the valley in September are during the Fall Arts Festival.

However, as tourism has ballooned over the years, the walk has begun to focus more on the local community according to Andrew Kruger of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.

He says that “at its core, the event is about breaking down barriers to experiencing art, introducing new audiences to Jackson’s galleries and artists.”

That core does not distinguish between visitor and resident.

September is historically the start of the offseason in this small, mountainous and artsy town. And from the beginnings of the event in the 1980s to now, the month is still a far cry from July and August when major roads throughout town can feel crammed and having a meal at a restaurant invites a cacophony of voices.

The art walk, which touts more than 20 galleries around town square, solidly positions Jackson as  the “premier arts destination in the Mountain West,” according to the Chamber of Commerce.

Jackson Hole was named the most arts-vibrant community in the United States this year, followed by San Francisco and New York.

And it’s not just the Tetons. Mountain communities across the Rockies — Durango, Colorado, Heber City, Utah, Taos, New Mexico, and Bozeman, Montana are all on the top 100 list.

But it’s notable that tourism driven by the arts isn’t used as one of the 13 measures to rank communities.

Instead, Southern Methodist University looked at arts providers, arts dollars and government support adjusted for population and the cost of living.

“Jackson Hole’s recognition reflects far more than an exceptional collection of galleries and museums. It recognizes a community where artists can build careers, cultural organizations thrive, businesses embrace creativity, and residents value the arts as an essential part of everyday life,” Kruger said.

It’s a reminder that the arts are more than an economic driver in a tourism-dependent town. It isn’t why locals show up.

This September, what all galleries had in common was a shared feeling of residents taking a breath following a busy summer season. Not one said the art walk was about sales or boosting tourism. Instead, most said community, food, art, and the delight of a cool September evening.

From a birds-eye view, the weekend of the arts walk can look reminiscent of a busy summer afternoon on the boardwalks but  the energy in the community feels more relaxed. Students are back in school, the weather is cooling down — the hot summer is loosening its grip on most — and the main event of the month is a week of wandering around, munching on crudites and tilting heads at art.

The ceremony of the collective exhale is felt among residents and visitors alike.

The collective purpose of Palates and Palettes is clear: bridge the gap between the art world, residents and visitors while building connections among them regardless of occupation or lifestyle.

“Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea… but it is a means of union among [people], joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity,” according to Leo Tolstoy in his 1897 book “ What is Art?”

In a couple of months most will turn their attention uphill: trudging up the Glory boot pack before work or skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The galleries will stay open, art still hanging in boardwalk window displays bordered by holiday lights. And one can hope residents and visitors will ease their holiday hustle and meditate on a piece of artwork, and might even recall the calmness and communion of the Fall Arts Festival. Until next year.