We tour 11 more must-sees at the James in St. Petersburg, Florida, with curator Emily Kapes.
When we asked curator Emily Kapes to choose a dozen artworks at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art to lead us on a museum tour for a feature story in our August/September special Western and Native art issue, she was happy to oblige.
But she was also a tad stressed by the obvious challenge. A good challenge, but still a tough one: choosing just 12 pieces from the vast and impressive James collection.
Making things a little more complicated was the fact that the production of that issue took place during the pandemic lockdown and the museum was closed at the time.
Fortunately for us, Kapes powered through. And eventually, she winnowed her daunting list of possibilities down to a dozen stunners for a compelling print article.
“I selected the works that I did based on importance and excellence,” she says. “And I wanted it to be representative. The collection emphasizes contemporary works, but I also wanted to represent different aspects of the collection — to show wildlife, Native American artists, some great early traditional Western art.”
The choice became a little less overwhelming when we encouraged Kapes to enlarge her list for a companion piece online. Here’s the virtual tour of those additional artworks from the James Museum.
Eleven More Musts At The James Museum
1. Bonnie Marris
American, born 1951
Lunch
2016
Oil on canvas
14 x 18 inches
2. Howard Terpning
American, born 1927
Badger Medicine
1995
Oil on masonite
38 x 24 inches
3. Andy Thomas
American, born 1957
Shot of Vengeance
2012
Oil on canvas
30 x 40 inches
4. Allan Houser
Chiricahua Apache, 1914 – 1994
Heading Home
1979
Bronze
53 x 55 x 20 inches
5. William Robinson Leigh
American, 1866 – 1955
Tidbits
1946
Oil on canvas
28 x 22 inches
6. E. I. Couse
American, 1866 – 1936
Indian Examining a Blanket
1922
Oil on canvas
46.5 x 46.5 inches
7. Gerald C. Delano
American, 1890 – 1972
The Victors
n.d.
Oil on canvas
22 x 40 inches
8. Thomas Blackshear II
American, born 1955
Bronco Break
2019
Oil on canvas
31 x 40 inches
9. Charles Loloma
Hopi, 1921-1991
Gold Inlaid Bracelet
Late 1970s
18k gold, coral, sugilite, turquoise
3 x 1.25 inches
10. Jim Vogel
American, born 1964
A Time for Every Purpose
2007
Oil on panel
34 x 81 inches
11. Curt Walters
American, born 1950
A Sense of Time
2006
Oil on canvas
60 x 80 inches