David Bjurstrom is the new executive director of Art in the High Desert, a popular highly ranked juried art show formerly held in Bend. The 2023 show will be held at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Redmond.

The popular annual fine art show Art in the High Desert, quiet since 2019, will be back in 2023, according to founders Dave and Carla Fox and new executive director David Bjurstrom.

The juried show was held each August from 2008 to 2019 on the Deschutes River in the Old Mill District. Focusing only on art, the show quickly earned a positive reputation among artists and high rankings in the art show industry based on artist sales. COVID-19 forced its cancellation in 2020, and with changing COVID restrictions calling into question whether the 2021 show might happen, the Foxes made clear their intentions to pass the baton in July of that year.

“We were at the end of our time to run the show,” Carla Fox said via email. “And we needed to step back to be with our grandkids and travel. And for the first time since 2008 we had two free summers to enjoy Central Oregon’s summers, using our kayaks, and not working putting on a show. It was pretty compelling. The show needed a new director.”

But with seemingly no one willing to step in as executive director — at least no one willing to stay true to the vision of AHD as a fine art show and not another street festival — summer 2022 also went by without Art in the High Desert.

Enter Bjurstrom, whose work had been juried into Art in the High Desert most of the years it was operating. Over the last couple of years, artists who knew of his friendship with the Foxes would often ask him about the fate of AHD. “I said it looked like it just wasn’t going to occur. It was pretty well done,” he said.

But he understood other artists’ curiosity. “Among artists, it’s seen as one of the best shows in the country,” he said.

After his husband retired from his position of University of Texas in Austin about a year ago, the pair decided to move back to Oregon.

They’re now living in Talent, awaiting the completion of their new home in Corvalis.

A few weeks ago, as they drove to Art in the Pearl, a Labor Day weekend show in Portland, it occurred to Bjurstrom he should check in one more time with the Foxes, his thinking being “Maybe it’s time to get involved, since we’re moving back to Oregon.”

Though he’s nervous about taking over, the Foxes have complete faith in Bjurstrom.

“He has done shows all over the country, been a juror for shows and really knows the business. He’s been in Art in the High Desert as a showing artist for years. He knows and loves how we organized the show and what it means to his fellow artists,” Carla said. “There isn’t a more perfect person in terms of skills and knowledge than David Bjurstrom to take this AHD (version) 2.0 on. He’ll add new vitality and ideas to the show.”

There will be one major change to Art in the High Desert: It will move to the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. That bigger footprint will enable AHD to jury in closer to 150 artists, about 40 more than it usually hosted in its former home of the Old Mill District.

With just under a year to go till the third weekend of August, Bjurstrom will be looking to rebuild Art in the High Desert, its board members and volunteers. If you’re interested in helping, email info@artinthehighdesert.com and keep an eye on artinthehighdesert.com, which will be updated soon, according to Bjurstrom.