The Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery will host the 52nd Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction. This fundraiser will showcase artists' work from the region to raise money in support of the year-round programs, scholarships, and changing exhibitions that the Carbon County Arts Guild offers. 

All art is submitted through the CaFE’ Call for Entry website.

Submissions will be juried and the work selected for the Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction will be on view to the public June 27 through July 14, 2025 at the Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery in Red Lodge, Montana.

Bidding for the items in the Silent Auction art exhibition will be done online. During the Thursday, June 26 Members and Sponsors Preview bidding will open at 6 p.m. The bidding online is open to all on Handbid  (https://events.handbid.com/) through July 14 using a mobile phone app, your tablet or computer. All bidding will close at 7 p.m. Monday, July 14, 2025. 

Thursday, June 26 from 5-7 p.m. the Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction Art Exhibition will be open for Members and Sponsors to view first. The event will include food, drink, and a wine pull. It will be an opportunity to meet artists and hear short gallery talks by selected artists with work in the Silent Auction. Bidding for the Silent Auction art opens online at 6 p.m. during the preview event.

The grand finale for this fundraiser is Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 4-8 p.m. This year Art in the Beartooths is back at Lions Park which is next to the Depot Gallery. The July 12th event features a Quick Draw and Live Auction with twenty artists starting and finishing a piece of art within a 2-hour time frame. There will be food, drink, music, and the live auction under the tent in Lions Park where the twenty pieces created that afternoon will be sold to the highest bidder. A ticket is required for this part of Art in the Beartooths under the tent. This is a great chance to re-connect with all the Quick Draw artists. Space under the tent is limited. Tickets are $65 per person and has the following schedule:

• 4-6 p.m. Quick Draw (free)
• 5 p.m. bar opens **
• 5:30 p.m. appetizers **
• 6-7 p.m. main meal **
• 6:30 p.m. live auction **

(** denotes ticket required)

Application Requirements

Entries

• Artists may submit up to 3 entries for the jury process. It is highly recommended that you submit new artwork that has not been seen by our patrons with the goal to provide the best representation of your work.
• Work must be original, made by the artist, and executed within the last five years.
• Acceptable Mediums include paintings, mixed media, pastels, drawings, ceramics, fine woodwork, textiles, photographs, jewelry, and sculpture.
• Size Limits: Two-dimensional pieces exceeding 48” on any one side (no more than 2,804 square inches) including the frame and three-dimensional works exceeding 2’ by 2’ by 3’ or weigh over 50 pounds are considered oversized artwork for this event. Oversized work will not be accepted.
• No computer-generated artwork, prints (including giclee's) or crafts are allowed. If there are questions about what acceptable work is, please contact the CCAG Executive Director.
• Work submitted to past auctions is not permitted.

Submission Guidelines for the Selection Process

Submissions for the Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction are handled exclusively through the CaFE’ Call for Entry. 

First-time applicants or those needing a guided walk-through can find assistance through the HELP tab shown on the CaFE' website and complete the application.

NOTE: On April 12, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Arts Guild staff will offer a Q&A workshop on how to use the CaFE’ Call for Entry application process. For details and to sign up, please call (406) 446-1370 to sign up.

Submissions:

• File Type: JPEG or JPG only
• File Dimensions: 1,200 pixels or greater on the longest side
• File Size: Under 5 MB
• Color Profile: RGB
• The quality of your image affects the selection process; therefore, a high-quality image without frames or mats visible in the photo is essential.

Accepted Artwork

• Upon notification of acceptance, work may be shipped or hand-delivered. Arts Guild staff will make every effort to save shipping boxes for use in return of artwork if needed.
• The artist is responsible for all delivery and return packing, insurance, return shipping labels, and shipping costs.
• All 2D art must have a secure wire in the back and be ready to hang; no saw-tooth hooks.
• All 3D art must have proper supports, hanging devices and if needed, instructions for installation.
• CCAG is not responsible to art that is framed or mounted in an unstable manner.
• Only selected work will be accepted; no substitutions.
• Any art that does not meet the requirements upon receipt, will be ineligible for the Silent Auction.

The Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery will take all reasonable precautions to safeguard artwork. Artists may carry their own insurance. The Arts Guild is not responsible for loss or damage incurred during the transport of artwork to and from the Guild.

Important Dates

April 1-30, 2025 – Call for Art is open and submissions accepted on CaFE’ (https://www.callforentry.org/)

May 11 – Artists notified by email regarding acceptance

June 15 - All accepted art must be received at the gallery

June 26 – 5-7 p.m. Members and Sponsors Preview for Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction exhibition. 

June 27-July 14 – Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction exhibition and online bidding through Handbid (https://events.handbid.com/) opens to the public

July 12 – 4-8 p.m., Art in the Beartooths Quick Draw and Live Auction. This year the Quick Draw and Live Auction will take place in Lions Park with 20 artists selected to create a piece of art within two-hour time frame (this part of the event, from 4-6 p.m., is free and open to the public.)

Monday, July 14 – Online Silent Auction bidding closes at 7 p.m.

July 15-22 – Unsold Silent Auction art will be rearranged in gallery and remain for sale

July 23 – Silent Auction art not sold will be ready for pickup

Sales

Because this is a fundraiser, you have a choice of contributing either 50% or 100% of the auction sale price of your piece to the Carbon County Arts Guild.

Retail Value / Reserve Price

Retail Value: The price a piece would be on sale for in a gallery.

Reserve Price: The lowest amount acceptable for a piece to sell.

Example: A painting with a retail value at $500 might have a reserve of $400. That means if bidding starts at $300 and goes up in $25 increments, there would need to be 4 bids to meet the reserve. If only $375 were the final amount bid, the piece would not sell. If bids went to $475 and the auction ended, the buyer would get the piece at $475.

No Reserve: The piece can sell for any amount. This is a feasible option for artists to consider since the Art in the Beartooths is a fundraiser.

Proceeds: The final amount the piece sells for will be split between CCAG and the artist at 50% or 100% as indicated in their entry form. 100% donations are greatly welcome for this fundraiser.

Shipping

Art shipped for Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction via USPS needs to include our PO Box to ensure delivery. 

Art shipped via UPS or FedEx need to include our physical address: 11 West 8th Street.

ADDRESS: Carbon County Arts Guild & Dept Gallery, 11 W 8th Street, PO Box 585, Red Lodge, MT 59068

In the event a work does not sell, artists are asked to contact the Carbon County Arts Guild to make the arrangements for the return of the piece. Artists can include a return shipping label in the original package, which works well if needed. 

Art to be returned by shipping will be managed by the UPS/FedEx outlet at Junction 7 in Red Lodge or through the USPS as directed by the artist. Any questions about shipping, please contact the CCAG staff at (406) 446-1370.

Eligibility Criteria

Art in the Beartooths Silent Auction is a juried exhibition open to invited artists and members of the Carbon County Arts Guild & Depot Gallery.