With Covid accommodations, the art goes on — in person and online. Here are some options that take you into December.
Throughout October
Yanaguana: Virtual Indian Arts Celebration
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Celebrating the arts and cultures of the Indigenous West, the Briscoe Western Art Museum has taken its Yanaguana Indian Arts Market online. This year’s virtual programming includes workshops, a gallery tour, storytelling, performances, and more, all furthering the museum’s mission to share the stories of the West. To participate, visit briscoemuseum.org/yanaguana
October 17, 2020 – January 17, 2021
Saddle Up, Cowboy!
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Most important to a cowhand was his Western saddle, more so than even his horse. Horses could be supplied by an employer but his saddle was his own property, and expensive as it was, it lasted a lifetime. This display of rarely seen saddles, paintings, and cowboy memorabilia examines the connection between the working cowboy including the Mexican vaquero and the cowboy fantasy of Hollywood that fueled the Western hero of 20th-century popular culture.
The exhibit features more than a dozen saddles varying in style and type and dating from 1850 to Jesus Meijia Olea’s 1981 saddle for Mexican President José López Portillo. Other highlights include saddles by Saddlemaker to the Stars Edward Bohlin, who outfitted stars such as the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry. Among the other saddle makers featured is Stelzig Saddlery of Houston and Galveston, Texas. A life-size horse display used for a century in the Houston Stelzig store will showcase a Stelzig black and silver saddle and full tackle. The Bryan Museum, Galveston, Texas, 409.632.7685, thebryanmuseum.org
Through December 31
Walking Quietly: Mixed Media Works by Melanie Yazzie
Printmaker, painter, and sculptor Melanie Yazzie draws upon her rich Navajo cultural heritage to create art of beauty and harmony according to the Diné dictum to “walk in beauty.” Encouraging others to learn more about the forces shaping the lives of contemporary Native peoples, Yazzie incorporates personal experiences as well as events and symbols from Diné culture. The Amerind Museum, Dragoon, Arizona, 520.586.3666, amerind.org
October 25, 2020 – January 24, 2021
Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism From the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection
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With more than 150 artworks by the beloved couple and other internationally celebrated artists, this exhibit looks at the role the art world played in the emergence of national identity and creative spirit after the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920, Notables include Lola Álvarez Bravo, Gunther Gerzso, María Izquierdo, Carlos Mérida, and others. Among Frida Kahlo’s 20 paintings and drawings on view are Diego on My Mind and Self-Portrait With Monkeys. Denver Art Museum, Denver, 720.865.5000, denverartmuseum.org
November 1, 2020 – February 28, 2021
Through the Kaleidoscope
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Examining the integral role of First American cultural patterns and designs through paintings, this exhibit presents a new perspective of the medium through paintings influenced by ribbon work, pottery design, and more. On view will be works by Marwin Begaye (Navajo), Michael Elizondo Jr. (Southern Cheyenne), Kristin Gentry (Choctaw), Gilmore Scott (Navajo), and Tony Tiger (Sac & Fox, Muscogee Creek, Seminole). Exhibit C Native Gallery & Gifts, Oklahoma City, 405.767.8900, exhibitcgallery.com
November 13
Small Works, Great Wonders
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This unique sales exhibition offers traditional and contemporary paintings and sculptures at affordable prices. Mingle with some of the nation’s finest artists at a limited attendance opening-night reception. Unsold work remains available through November 29. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, 405.478.2250, swgw.nationalcowboymuseum.org
November 14
Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival
Still dedicated to showcasing original art pieces created from discarded materials, a smaller, physically distanced outdoor version of the festival will offer eco-conscious shoppers an opportunity to find one-of-a-kind “green” holiday gifts made out of recycled items. Industrial Art neighborhood, Santa Fe, 505.603.0558, recyclesantafe.org
November 14
Santa Fe Art Auction
One of the Southwest’s largest annual sales of classic and contemporary Western and Native American art, this year’s auction offers work by Fritz Scholder, B.J.O. Nordfeldt, Rebecca Salsbury James, Gerard Curtis Delano, Martin Grelle, Emil Bisttram, and others. Bid in person, by phone, or online in real time. Santa Fe, 505.954.5858, santafeartauction.com
November 14 – 22
John Coleman: Spirit • Lives • Legends
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More than 20 new paintings, sculptures, and drawings comprise this one-man show by acclaimed artist John Coleman, whose historical works depicting Native Americans hang in museums across the nation. Meet Coleman at a reception on November 14 or view his works online at legacygallery.com. Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona, 480.945.1113, legacygallery.com
November 17, 2020 – May 16, 2021
Blazing a Trail
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Specific challenges faced by women in the American West, such as a lack of both property rights and healthcare, led to their need to improvise, innovate, and adapt to precarious situations in a male-dominated society. Consequently, women in Western states and territories were the first to win the right to vote and to determine their own paths, thus blazing the trail to suffrage for women all across the nation.
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While you’re visiting the museum, check out Find Her West (opening December 20, 2020) for a look at some of the diverse women who built homes, families, businesses, careers, and powerful legacies in the West through photographs and other archival items from the museum’s Dickinson Research Center. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, 405.478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org
November 20 – 21, 2020
Alpine Artwalk
Now in its 27th year, this annual art and music festival features the Hecho A Mano art market, a silent art auction, gem and mineral show, free live music, and good ol’ Texas hospitality with ample social distancing. This year, the honored artist is Alpine’s Tim Roberts, whose scratchboard etchings, paintings, and photographs often depict bygone times. Various venues, Alpine, Texas, 432.294.1071, artwalkalpine.com
November 21
The Great American West Art Show
This year’s show features new paintings and sculptures by 54 artists, including C. Michael Dudash, Robert Griffing, R.S. Riddick, Phil Epp, Don Oelze, and Susan Terpning. View art online November 9 – 28. Settlers West Galleries, Tucson, Arizona, 520.299.2607, settlerswest.com
November 22
Mountain Oyster Club Contemporary Western Art Show & Sale
View juried original works by established and emerging artists online or in-person at mini-previews throughout the month of November ahead of Mountain Oyster Club’s annual sale on November 22. Tickets must be purchased in advance by requesting an invitation online or by phone. Mountain Oyster Club, Tucson, Arizona, 520.623.3417, mountainoysterclub.com
December 4 – 6
Fall Tempe Festival of the Arts
For more than 50 years holiday shoppers have flocked to this urban fine-arts festival for unique handmade gifts by roughly 300 juried artists working in a wide range of mediums; a varied selection of food rounds out the experience. Downtown Tempe, Arizona, 480.355.6060, tempefestivalofthearts.com
