Art Exhibitions And Events In The West

Through August 29
Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts
Spanning the 19th – 21st centuries, this exhibition presents 18 quilts from the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. The quilts represent a range of materials, motifs, and techniques and demonstrate how this medium balances creativity with tradition and individuality with the collective zeitgeist. A visible kinship between quilt-making and cartography is evident and the choice of fabric and design reveals insights into the topography of the quiltmaker’s world. The motif in Nora McKeown Ezell’s Star Quilt, for example, evokes the celestial navigation used by slaves on the Underground Railroad; the traditional eight-point Star of Hope pattern is drawn from the artist’s knowledge of the history of slavery, Reconstruction, and post-Reconstruction in the Jim Crow South. Like roadmaps, these unique artworks offer paths to a deeper understanding of America’s cultural fabric. Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin, 715.845.7010, lywam.org

Through September 12
Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.
This Smithsonian traveling exhibition uses bold contemporary visual art, fresh literary excerpts, and vibrant stories to highlight known and unknown, historic and contemporary, African American leaders who stand as national icons. “Twenty-seven men are spotlighted as men of change, with an additional 60 reflected through images and quotes and even more represented by name … to exemplify the strength of community and those who came before.” Supported by Ford Motor Company Fund, the exhibition will hang in the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, October 9, 2021 – January 2, 2022.  African American Museum of Dallas, 214.565.9026, aamdallas.org/exhibit

David Alekhuogie, [Muhammed Ali] Know Your Right, 2018, Photo credit: courtesy of the artist

Through October 2
Andy Warhol: Cowboys and Indians | Billy Schenck: Myth of the West
Originally scheduled for last summer but delayed due to COVID-19, these shows comprise works by Andy Warhol, the undisputed leader of American pop art, and Billy Schenck, known as the “Warhol of the West.” Drawn from Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians series, the artist’s last project before his passing in 1987, the Warhol exhibit features 10 prints, including famous Western stars and symbols such as Geronimo, John Wayne, and Annie Oakley. The companion exhibit presents a complete retrospective of Schenck’s work and showcases 29 pieces in the artist’s distinctive style. Both exhibits were organized by the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio. C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana, 406.727.8787, cmrussell.org

Billy Schenck, The Last Sunset, 2016, oil on canvas, 40" x 40"

Through October 17
¡Viva Mexico! | Find Your North
Using images, artifacts, maps, and stories to share the influence that people “south of the border” had on cowboy and Western culture, these two exhibits celebrate the diversity of the West, spotlighting Mexican and northward migration, appropriately during the bicentennial year of Mexican Independence from Spain in 1821. ¡Viva Mexico! shows how hombres a caballo (horsemen) affected key historical events like Mexican Independence, the Texas Revolution, Mexican War, and the Mexican Revolution. Focusing on Hispanic experiences and influence on the borderlands, Find Your North showcases how Mexican culture, faith, food, and trade contributed to and continue to shape the America we know today. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, 405.478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org

Through December 31
Shonto Begay: Eyes of the World
Furthering the viewer’s understanding of art as an activity that creates objects of healing, beauty, and peace in a troubled world, this exhibition features the work of Navajo neo-impressionist artist Shonto Begay, poetically complementing individual artworks with in-depth storytelling and reflections on life. Autobiographical in nature, Begay’s paintings narrate his connection to the Navajo landscape, personal histories, and cosmology. On view are about 40 paintings, a painted chair, two painted denim jackets, plus a video about Begay’s home community of Shonto. Wheelwright Museum, Santa Fe, 505.982.4636, wheelwright.org

Shonto Begay (Navajo), Rhythms from the Edge of the Rez, 2000, acrylic on canvas, 40” x 44", Photo credit: courtesy of Medicine Man Gallery

Through June 4, 2022
Bring the Bosins Home: The Journey Continues
An exhibition honoring the life and artwork of nationally recognized Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin, who would have turned 100 this year, hangs in the museum he helped found not far from his 44-foot steel Keeper of the Plains sculpture that sits on confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers. It features 66 original paintings and drawings by the artist, including two that have been acquired since the show opened June 5. Among the works on view are Bosin’s 1957 painting Torches of the Soul Seekers along with its accompanying poem and Reflections of Rainy Mountain, the artist’s last painting, which was donated to the museum on June 16. Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Wichita, Kansas, 316.350.3340, theindiancenter.org

August 11 – October 16
We Are the Seeds: A Group Exhibition of Indigenous Arts
Now in its fifth year, We Are the Seeds is an arts festival that unites a community of Indigenous creatives in Santa Fe each August. While the festival has been postponed until 2022 due to the pandemic, this year it takes the form of an exhibition and a “dimensional biography,” created by its co-directors, of the project’s inception and growth using stories of artists who’ve contributed along the way. The group exhibition features more than two dozen Native artists whose work includes traditional beading, steel and textile practices, contemporary painting, and wearable art. Among the participating artists are Loren Aragon (ACONAV), Robert Martinez, Peggy Fontenot, Tchin, Rykelle Kemp, and Jeff Suina. An opening reception takes place August 13 with musical performances by Zachariah Julian and Jennifer Perez. Form & Concept, Railyard Arts District, Santa Fe, 505.780.8310, formandconcept.center

Peggy Fontenot, Self-Assimilation Sampler, 2020, beaded loom work, 16" x 20"

August 13 – 15
Objects of Art Santa Fe
With more than 70 gallery owners and traders, this showcase of one-of-a-kind historic and contemporary objects of art from around the world returns this year virtually as well as in-person with thousands of choice art objects handmade by master artists and designers in a range of media. The virtual show runs August 9 – 31 and features special exhibitions and interactive lectures. El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, objectsofartsantafe.com

August 13 – 15
Sun Valley Arts & Crafts Festival
After a respite from the pandemic last year, the historic Idaho town of Ketchum once again hosts this 52-year-old outdoor juried fine arts and crafts show. Peruse original artwork from more than 130 professional artists, working in ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and wood. In the serene surroundings of the Sawtooth and Pioneer Mountains, enjoy live music in the picnic area, grab a bite from the food trucks, and let the young ’uns check out the Kids’ Activity Tent. Atkinson Park, Ketchum, Idaho, 208.720.5095, sunvalleyartsandcraftsfestival.com

Dolan Geiman; Headed Home; hand-cut paper collage, acrylic paint; 70” x 40”; Photo credit: courtesy of the artist

August 14 – 16
Whitehawk Antique Indian & Ethnographic Art Show
For more than 40 years this unique antique tribal event has highlighted the top tier of dealers in American Indian, ethnographic, and fine Western art. An opening-night preview party kicks off the festivities Friday evening, August 13. Community Convention Center, Santa Fe, 505.988.9544, whitehawkshows.com

August 14 – October 16
America’s Horse in Art Show & Sale
This year more than 40 artists working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, charcoal, bronze, and other mediums present 100-plus artworks depicting the American Quarter Horse lifestyle. Meet 2021 Signature Artist Kathryn Leitner and other artists at an opening reception August 14. Bid online August 10 – 14; art goes on sale for posted price directly following the online auction on the 14th and continues through October 16. American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, Amarillo, Texas, 806.376.5181, aqha.org/artshow

August 18 – 20
Antique American Indian Art Show Santa Fe
The virtual and in-person show and sale of historic Indian materials brings together nearly 70 of some of the world’s most knowledgeable experts in American Indian art and thousands of select historic art objects from Indigenous cultures throughout North America. The virtual show runs August 9 – 31 and features special exhibitions and interactive lectures. El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, antiqueindianartshow.com

August 19 – 20
Wheelwright Museum Annual Benefit Auction
At the museum’s largest fundraiser, hundreds of one-of-a-kind works for purchase include Native American jewelry, pottery, textiles, baskets, paintings, folk art, and much more in price ranges to fit all collectors’ budgets. The benefit event, which starts with a ticketed Early Bird viewing on August 18, is first-come, first-served and adheres to current CDC guidelines for COVID-19 safe practices. Wheelwright Museum, Santa Fe, 505.982.4636, wheelwright.org/benefit

August 19 – 31
David Yarrow: One-Man Show
Fine art photographer David Yarrow travels to some of the world’s most unreachable and at times dangerous environments, consistently placing himself in the right place, at the right time, to capture evocative images of life on earth. This one-man show features 12 – 15 of his dramatic large-format photographs, including pieces from his Wild West Series and one of Chief John Spotted Tail, great-great-grandson of fabled Lakota chief Spotted Tail, shot in front of Devils Tower, a spot considered sacred by Native Americans and widely recognized as the location of a famous scene in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of Third Kind.  Meet Yarrow at an opening reception on August 19 and hear him talk about his groundbreaking work. Sorrel Sky Gallery, Santa Fe, 505.501.6555, sorrelsky.com

August 21 – 22
Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe’s central plaza and surrounding area will hum again with activity as the 99th Indian Market returns this year in hybrid form combining both the new online marketplace and a smaller in-person market. The ticketed event enables visitors to shop the market over the two days while maintaining COVID safe practices. Festivities kick off August 20 with a preview of the award-winning art and a silent auction. The market opens on Saturday along with stage and dance performances, a gala reception, fashion show preview, and another silent auction. Sunday includes the market, stage and dance performances, an Indigenous fashion show, and Indigenous fashion trunk show. Downtown Santa Fe, 505.983.5220, swaia.org

August 20 – 21
The Russell: An Exhibition and Sale
Activities kick off August 20 with Art in Action, a variation on the traditional quick draw, and live auction of the subsequent works. New this year is Artist Stampede at The Russell, live outdoor art demonstrations throughout the museum grounds that give artists the opportunity to engage with collectors. The Russell Live Auction opens August 21 with brunch and libations on the museum grounds with the artists. Bidding on 205 lots from 157 artists begins at noon with live in-person; online bidding as well as absentee and telephone bid options are also available. The lively bidding continues well into the evening. C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana, 406.727.8787, cmrussell.org

September 4 – 6
Cherry Creek Arts Festival
Consistently ranked among the top arts festivals nationwide, the Cherry Creek festivities begin this year with a ticketed 30th Anniversary Kickoff event on September 2, featuring a pop-up preview of select artists from the juried festival, live entertainment, and hors d’oeuvres and drinks. The 2021 event features artworks by 220 national and international artists, 16 performing artists, Creation Station with children’s activities, food, and interactive art experiences. Festival Nights on September 4 and 5 feature musical guests. Creekside at Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Denver, 303.355.2787, cherrycreekartsfestival.org

September 4 – January 2022
Selena Forever/Siempre Selena
Fresh off its run at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, this photographic tribute to Selena Quintanilla comprises images by John Dyer, who photographed the iconic ’90s singer on assignments for the cover of Más Magazine in 1992 and for Texas Monthly in 1995, only months before she was tragically murdered at age 23. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 479.418.5700, crystalbridges.org

Photography: (Cover image) Matt Atkinson; Give No Ground; graphite, sepia, watercolor; 12” x 24”; 2020 Art Patrons Purchase Award winner