
Story By
Meg Daly
Recent exhibitions, such as “Rural Violence” and “Observatories,” challenged audiences with new ways of looking at the West. For instance, an installation in “Observatories,” by the venerable contemporary artist Paul McCarthy, called into question our fascination with gory stagecoach fights and Old West violence.

With their abiding passion for conceptual art, how do these non-traditionalists approach curating their own art collections? How does Western topography intersect with their personal artistic tastes?

Making his home into a rotating door for contemporary thought could be considered an art project in itself. The transience of the art and perpetual transformation of the space mean his home is always infused with new and diverse ideas.

As a fine art dealer, Obering’s doctrine for her personal art collection mirrors that of her other projects. “The crux of what we’re trying to do is collect ideas and people,” she says of her work with Kincaid and Jackson. Her home in Schofield Patent, which she shares with her husband, Ben Musser, and their two young children, boasts work by notable contemporary artists such as Jordan Eagles, Tara Donovan and Kiki Smith.

Like his cohorts, Jackson is drawn to art that asks question and conveys concepts. “An artwork is like a battery that carries ideas,” he says. An internationally respected contemporary artist, he makes his home in Wilson with his wife, Laura Seymour, and their two children. Among other achievements, he has exhibited in the Whitney Biennial, and his work is included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Jackson sees his relationship with pieces of art like relationships with people. “When you are drawn to a piece of art, there might be an aspect of yourself represented there.”
All three curators collect work by the artists they bring to town. It may not always be harmonious with traditional mountain-town aesthetics, but that’s not the point, they say. Instead, the team feels strongly that avant-garde views are a vital part of Jackson Hole. “It’s an energy we are trying to prolong here,” Kincaid says.