The Mountain Oyster Club and the Wieghorst Award
The Mountain Oyster Club celebrates the spirit and craft of the American West through fellowship, exhibitions, and patronage of artists who carry Western traditions into the present. It was founded in 1948 by cattlemen, ranchers and allied businessmen, bound by a love of horses and the Western way of life. It is now a respected venue for contemporary Western art and a steward of cultural memory.
Wieghorst Award
The Wieghorst Award is the Club’s highest annual honor. It is named for Olaf Wieghorst, whose work defined a vivid, narrative approach to Western art. The award is presented each year during the Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale. It recognizes an artist whose work best embodies technical excellence, evocative storytelling, and a deep connection to Western subject matter. The selection is made by a panel of peers, curators, and past honorees. The award highlights work that advances the genre while honoring its roots.
Contemporary Western Art Show and Permanent Collection
The Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale is the Club’s signature event. It features hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and illustrations by established and emerging Western artists. Selected works from the show are acquired for the Club’s permanent collection. The collection ensures that outstanding pieces remain accessible to members, visiting scholars, and the public through exhibitions and loans.
Honorary Artist Members
Olaf Wieghorst was the first Honorary Artist Member of the Mountain Oyster Club. The honor recognized his sustained artistic achievement and contribution to the Western tradition.
Those values became the criteria for awarding the lifetime designation to subsequent artists whose careers and bodies of work made a lasting impact on the field. Since its inception, over 90 individuals have been named Honorary Artist Members. Among them is local artist Mehl Lawson, Past President of the Cowboy Artists of America and director emeritus of the Olaf Wieghorst Museum Foundation.
Legacy and Impact
Through the Wieghorst Award, the Contemporary Western Art Show, and its permanent holdings, the Mountain Oyster Club plays a vital role in preserving and promoting Western art. The Club supports artists who bridge tradition and innovation, ensuring that the stories, landscapes, and people of the American West continue to be rendered with skill, heart, and authenticity.
The 56th Annual Contemporary Western Art Show and Sale was held on November 23rd, 2025 in Tucson, Arizona. You can view the 2025 submissions at:
2025 Wieghorst Award Winner
Congratulations are in order for the 2025 Wieghorst Award Winner: Andrew Higdon, an emerging visual artist based in Ackworth, Georgia. His his stunning painting, “The Way Back” was the “best in the show.”
