Let’s Talk: Art of the West

What do you know about the American West? Let’s Talk: Art of the West is a free, interactive, focus exhibition that highlights western art and asks audiences to look, think, and tell us more. Artists such as Charles M. Russell and Charles Schreyvogel influenced popular perceptions about the American West during European expansion and colonization across the continent. Their artwork established simplified narratives about cowboys, cavalry, Native American peoples, and mountainous landscapes that continue to hold power today. Let’s Talk features a small selection of these late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century paintings on loan from the Gilcrease Museum (Tulsa, Oklahoma).

As part of the interactive component, prompts throughout the gallery invite guests to share what they know about the history of the American West and their perceptions of western art. In response to guest feedback, the labels and other supporting material in the exhibition will change throughout the course of its three-month run. Come enjoy western art and Let’s Talk!