When gallery owner and artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey began painting in Montana about 25 years ago, she wanted to express how it really FELT living in Big Sky Country. The possibilities seemed endless. Five years later, Nancy along with her husband Steve and son Morgan, opened their first gallery in Bigfork, Montana. In 2017 the gallery relocated to Whitefish and expanded to represent more than 20 artists working in over 10 different media.

Just as the presence of a young child can remind you of the wonder of the world, an artist will be struck by the light on a distant canola field, the deep purples of a thunderstorm rolling over the mountains or the brilliant reflection of autumn leaves in a stream. Making art and experiencing art is about rediscovering the world, moment by moment, and the hope is that it invites us to linger and remain in that moment of awe.

American Western art is not only about preserving a storied past—it is about capturing and reimagining our present.

The Cawdrey Gallery proudly hosts Contemporary Western artists from all over the U.S. and Canada. The spirit of the West is as dynamic and diverse as ever, and the Cawdrey Gallery aims to showcase that through a range of subject matter and mediums from sublimely painted valleys to animated driftwood horses.

They aim to facilitate and inspire western art experiences with their collectors, artists and community.