CODY — Fine art galleries throughout Wyoming have been working through a slump for several months. It is an election year, after all.
A presidential election season slump has become a recognized trend in the fine art community and makes creating and selling paintings and sculptures especially challenging every four years.
For whatever reason, buyers tend to keep their money to themselves during presidential elections.
In an industry that thrives on big sales but somewhat irregular business, the presidential election lull can be a make-or-break period for many artists and gallery owners, even if it’s “business as usual” on the other side.
“We've been in business for 42 years, which means I've survived 10 of these every-four-year political contests,” said Bob Brown, owner of Big Horn Galleries in Cody. “I have never heard anybody say, ‘I would spend more, but it's an election year,’ but things are much softer than in other years. Definitely.”
From All To Nothing
Tanner Loren, a bronze sculpture artist in Cody, said he started 2024 busier than ever. Now, his hands are idle with little work while he waits for the election season to end.
“I had to wait a year for my honeymoon because I was so swamped with work going into this year,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “Then, around April or May, things started to trickle off. I was working on three to four monument projects at a time, and now I have next to nothing.”
Harvey Deselms, owner of Deselm’s Fine Art in Cheyenne, also feels the pinch of the presidential election lull. Business at his gallery has been slow for the last six months, and there’s no sign it’s picking up before the end of the year.
“This is my 32nd year in business, and I've noticed this every big election year,” he said. “People aren’t walking off the street and buying art, and they hold off on making big purchases until the election’s over. They slow down until it’s over.”
It’s been like that for decades. Regardless of the political climate or the caustic nature of the election, fine art doesn’t sell during an election year.
“There was maybe one election period I can remember where it didn't dip too terribly,” Loren said, “but for the 21 years I’ve been working, it always dead in a presidential election year. This is just another one of those years.”
Why that is has been a topic of debate and conjecture in the art community. Are people spending the money they normally would on political campaign donations? Maybe they’re just more worried about the economy? Or, are they hedging their bets in case whichever of the catastrophic candidates destined to destroy America might actually win?
Lacking Luxury
Brown thinks there’s a simple explanation for the presidential election lull. It’s the economy.
“No. 1, you have the political issue,” he said. “But No. 2, I think the economy itself is softer. And I'm talking about the day-to-day economy, not the stock market or large international things.
“The cost of gasoline, food, and housing have all gone up, they continue to go that way, and people are very concerned about it.”
Deselms has another theory for the slump in sales. He believes the mental and emotional toll wrought by the ever-extending election season puts people in a mindset that sucks away their appetite for fine art.
“I blame the politicians and the PACs for ruining retail at this time of year,” he said. “You have both sides of the aisle saying, ‘If that guy wins, you're going to be broke. And if she wins, you'll lose all your money.’ They’re getting people to worry. And if they’re worried, they won't want to spend any money on anything.”
However, Deselms and Brown said they know they’re working in a business where their product isn’t considered absolutely necessary.
“We are a luxury business,” Brown said, “and at a time when you need necessities, luxury steps back a bit.”
Presidential Preparedness
Even while the fine art community anticipates the presidential election lull, there isn’t much they can do to prepare for it. The primary solution is to hope there’s enough financial security to wait until the election’s over.
“I typically don't make large purchases during this time, but that's all I can do to prepare for it,” Brown said. “Can't control much else.”
Several galleries and artists swing from making huge sales to worrying about getting enough money to cover rent during the lull. Loren hopes a November show in Worland will boost his bank account, but he’s primarily relying on commissions from previous work to tide he and his family over until the election’s over.
“After being in the art industry like I have for 21 years, you would think I would learn to prepare better, but I haven’t figured that out yet,” he said. “I always think the next cycle is going to be different. But I know artists and galleries are really feeling this one.”
Outcomes Don’t Matter
The consolation prize for everyone working in the fine art industry is that the presidential election doesn’t have a prolonged impact on business. In fact, it doesn’t seem to have any impact once it’s over.
“Regardless of whether their candidate wins or loses, or whether they're happy or unhappy with the election, they get over it, lick their wounds or celebrate, and then they're back to normal,” Deselms said.
“It doesn't matter whether it's Republican, Democrat, Independent, whatever,” Brown said. “Once the uncertainty is over, things revert to normal and people go about their business. I expect the same thing this year.”
Loren said he and other artists typically get back to business as usual at the end of the election season. Whether it’s a Republican or a Democratic administration, people still want to buy and commission new art.
“I did great when Trump was president, and I did great when Obama was president,” he said. “The art industry recovers and goes back to selling. Patrons wait to see who wins, and it returns to normal.”
Sold Out Or Selling Out?
The well-known struggles of the fine art community during presidential election cycles might cast an ominous shadow over one of the biggest events in Cody’s offseason. Artists and patrons are preparing for an electrifying live auction to cap the 43rd Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale on Sept. 20.
Kathy Thompson, director of the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale for 16 years, said she’s familiar with the struggles of the presidential election lull. But in her experience, that hasn’t affected the show's success.
“My first experience with the show was during an election year,” she said. “I was concerned, but surprisingly enough, we made a lot of money that election year and ever since.”
While Thompson said she finds “plenty of things to worry about” every year, she’s not losing much sleep over the presidential election's impact on this year’s show. Seats for the Sept. 20 live auction have been sold out for months.
If the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale is a bastion in a doldrum period in the fine art community, Thompson credits that to loyal patrons and an exciting atmosphere that provides a brief escape from the political noise.
“We can't change the outcome of politics, and our patrons, who come from all over the United States, are concerned about those things,” she said. “But we’re sold out, so we know they want something joyful.
“They want to come to Cody. Whether it's being present at the auction, buying tickets for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, filling up hotels, or staying at ranches, we know we're going to do well right here in Cody because the patrons love the museum, the art, and our artists.”
Artists recognize the show's endurance, especially in an election year. Of the 104 artists featured in this year’s show, 75 will be at the live auction and other associated events in Cody.
Here’s Hoping
The endurance of the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale could give Cody’s fine art community a reprieve during the presidential election lull. Brown said he usually sees a boost in business adjacent to the shop, and sales at Big Horn Galleries have improved as the auction approaches.
“The show brings in a lot of good art buyers,” he said. “If I have special art in the gallery at the time, and people who are tuned in to buying art, then we always look for this time of year to bolster the rest of the year. I hope this year will be no different. It's been a good September for us so far, but there are no guarantees.”
In 2023, the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale brought in more than $1.3 million. Patrons might keep their hands in their pockets in 2024, but it’s too early to say.
“I am really, really interested to see how the Buffalo Bill Art Show does this year,” Loren said. “I am curious to see how it goes with it being in the middle of the election season, but I have high hopes for a wonderful, amazing, high-selling show.”
Regardless of the show’s success, Wyoming’s fine art community eagerly await the end of the election season. Business is always better when the bureaucrats are settled and sworn in.
“For whatever reasons, the election makes people nervous, and nervous people hold on tighter to their money,” Loren said. “But art is highly sought after. I think it's been that way since the beginning of mankind when we were painting on cave walls. It’s just a way to express yourself and something people want to be involved in.”
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
