When COVID-19 shut down galleries and museums, many took the opportunity to reexamine the way they operate. Museums began sharing their collections online in more depth, mounted exhibitions for virtual tours and began to explore the purpose and role of museums in a post-quarantine, 21st-century world of increasing awareness of social inequality. The museum experience is changing and we can expect a different approach to the display of art, its interpretation and its historical and present-day contexts.
Krissa María López, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, 2006, retablo: pine, home-made gesso, natural pigments, wheat straw, leather, beeswax. Private Collection. Photo courtesy Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico. From Las Santeras: Images of Faith and Folklore at the Harwood Museum of Art.
As we are assembling this section of the magazine, museums are reopening to the public. We suggest that you visit museum websites and their social media platforms for up-to-date hours and directions for visiting. Many museums are requiring the wearing of masks and social distancing. Some are requiring timed-entry tickets or reservations to limit the number of visitors per hour. Also, take the opportunity to explore what the museums are offering online as an experience in itself and as preparation for an actual, physical visit. No matter how sophisticated the virtual experience is, nothing beats experiencing a painting from across a room and being able to get close enough to see the hand of the artist and nothing beats being able to walk around a sculpture.
Exhibitions planned or open at this time explore regional characteristics, the work of individual artists, loaned private collections and in-depth surveys.
The photographs of Ansel Adams (1902-1984) are always a favorite of museumgoers. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston organized the exhibition Ansel Adams in Our Time, which is now traveling across the country. It is scheduled to be shown through January 3, 2021, at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, and from January 30 through May 30 at the Portland Art Museum in Oregon.
One of the many interesting experiences of viewing Ansel Adams prints is that he often printed them differently. Phoenix Art Museum is continuing its exhibition Ansel Adams: Performing the Print through March 2021.
Documentary photographs figure in the exhibition Vaquero Legacies & Diverse Descendants at Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, from February 11 through July 11, 2021. The museum notes, “This show traces the many legacies left behind by the first cowboys to come to the Americas in the 1700s. Legacies brings to the forefront the charros of Mexico, Indian Relay Races and Rodeos, the paniolos of Hawaii, the Black Rodeos and American Delta cowboy culture and many more rich expressions of this deeply Western tradition. People of color and their stories will be presented to further the understanding that the West was and is a deeply diverse area, one of many cultures and peoples.”
Michael Scott, Ghost Owls, Mt. Rainier Campfire, oil on canvas, 58 x 84”. From Landscapes on Fire: Paintings by Michael Scott at the Gilcrease Museum.
In Mitch Epstein: Property Rights, the renowned photographer explores compelling contemporary issues in the West. “From Standing Rock protests to the Arizona and Texas borderlands, Epstein travels the country capturing images where public and private rights are often in conflict. Politics and citizenship, or environmental degradation and land rights, Epstein focuses on tough topics, helping us see overlapping, and often competing, histories and perspectives.” The exhibition is at Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, through February 28, 2021.
In Revisiting America: The Prints of Currier & Ives, Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, “sheds new light on the famous firm’s artistic and commercial practices, revealing the complex social relationships and surprising modernity of its lavish prints, which found their way into the homes of tens of thousands of Americans in the 19th century.” The exhibition runs through April 11, 2021.
The popular exhibition, Mythmakers: The Art of Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington, continues its tour at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, December 22 through February 28, 2021. The exhibition explores the “connections between artistic themes and techniques used by acclaimed American artists Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington through 60 artworks.”
The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is featuring Trails, Rails and Highways: How Trade Transformed the Art of Spanish New Mexico. “This exhibition explores the impact of historic trails (Native American trails, the Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail, the Railroad and Route 66) on the traditional arts through the importation of prints and paintings, new materials and new styles, from the colonial period through the early 20th century. A gallery of contemporary works illustrates how today’s artists, who are flooded with information and tools from cyber expressions.”
The New Mexico History Museum continues its exhibition Setting the Standard: The Fred Harvey Company and Its Legacy. “The Fred Harvey name and its company’s influence have been felt across New Mexico, not to mention the American West. The company and its New Mexico establishments served as the stage on which people such as Mary Colter were able to fashion an ‘authentic’ tourist experience which included the famed Harvey Girls who helped define hospitality in the West.”
Tucker Smith, The Auction, 1987. Collection of Curtice and Bob McCloy. © Tucker Smith. From Tucker Smith: A Celebration of Nature at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The Tacoma Art Museum in Washington, continues two related exhibitions on artists who came to the West in Immigrant Artists and the American West and the people who settled here in Places to Call Home: Settlements in the West.
As artists and art settled in the West, art galleries sprang up. Among them was Elaine Horwitch Galleries, the subject of the exhibition Southwest Rising: Contemporary Art & the Legacy of Elaine Horwitch showing at the Booth Museum through April 25, 2021. Curated by Dr. Julie Sasse, chief curator of the Tucson Art Museum, the exhibition covers the career of art dealer Elaine Horwitch who was a major force in contemporary art in the Southwest from the early 1970s until her death in 1991. The museum says, “She was responsible for launching the careers of hundreds of artists from the region. With galleries in Scottsdale, Santa Fe, Sedona and Palm Springs, she was a leader in fostering what has been called ‘new Western art’ or ‘Southwest pop.’ Featured artists include: Tom Palmore, Lynn Taber, Billy Schenck, John Fincher, James Havard, Fritz Scholder, Anne Coe, Larry Rivers and Bob Wade.”
The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is featuring Landscapes on Fire: Paintings by Michael Scott through February 21, 2021. The museum notes, “At the beginning of this new decade, fires and flames never seem to be far from the headlines. An elemental force of nature, fire contains immense power to create and destroy. As humans contribute to increasing changes in the global climate, fire seasons and cycles produce ever more extreme events from Australia to the Amazon to California.
“But fire also heals. From the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Tallgrass Prairie in Oklahoma, naturally occurring fires are part of a healthy ecosystem…Like the Hudson River School artists who inspire his work, painter Michael Scott creates powerful images of the American landscape that speak to urgent issues of our time. The large-scale works in this exhibition all speak to elemental forces of nature: fire, ice and water. Beyond the physical presence of smoke and mist, Scott’s paintings reveal hints of supernatural, unknowable forces in the American landscape.”
Tucker Smith: A Celebration of Nature will be at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, through January 3, 2021; at the National Sporting Library and Museum, Middleburg, Virginia, from April 8, 2021 through August 22; and at the Booth Museum, September 11, 2021, through January 2, 2022. The exhibition features “more than 75 original oils, in a true survey of Smith’s life’s work, with pieces ranging from his early years as a professional artist to his most recent paintings. This exhibit will present the breadth of subject matter he has tackled, including Western wildlife, camp and cowboy scenes, as well as stunning landscapes.”
The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis continues Powerful Women: Contemporary Art from the Eiteljorg Collection through March 21, 2021. “This exhibition highlights contemporary women artists, especially Native artists, and the powerful works they have created that speak to issues of personal identity, political agency, memory and violence against women.”
Ansel Adams (1902-1984), The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942, photograph, gelatin silver print. 2018.2733. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Lane Collection. The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. From Ansel Adams in Our Time at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico, is displaying Las Santeras: Images of Faith and Folklore through January 10, 2021, and Contemporary Art / Taos 2020, through April 18. The museum says, “The first major exhibition of its kind, Las Santeras celebrates the influence of contemporary female carvers working with the cultural devotional arts of New Mexico and Colorado.” Contemporary Art / Taos 2020 features 24 pieces from work submitted by 313 artists.
Exploring Wildlife Art – National Museum of Wildlife Art Gallery Reinstallation continues at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming, an example of the museum reexamining the presentation of their collections. It is “a reinstallation that is sure to delight as it engages us in new ways of exploring wildlife art…” the museum explains.
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has delved into the archives of its Dickinson Research Center to assemble the exhibition Find Her West, on display through May 16, 2021. “At its core,” the museum explains, “history is not about dates and events, but the people who experienced them. Not just the famous, but the everyday and ordinary. Look closely. These faces and names are not fiction. They are mothers and daughters, sisters and aunts, nieces and wives, grandmothers, and friends. Diverse in ethnicity, background and age, they share a commonality. Each experienced and shaped the American West through roles far more complex than stereotypes suggest. With strength and resolve, they built homes, families, businesses, careers and powerful legacies. They found their West.”
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The Booth Western Art Museum
501 N. Museum Drive, Cartersville, GA 30120
(770) 387-1300 • www.boothmuseum.org
Housing the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country, the Booth Museum invites guests to “See America’s Story” through significant historic and contemporary Western artwork, from bronze to canvas and in every style ranging from painterly to pop.
Eight major galleries give a sweeping view of the West’s history, land and cultures. Among the themed space is the soaring Eaton Sculpture Atrium; the Harding Cowboy Gallery, as well as galleries focused on landscapes and wildlife; and Native Hands, an installation of 150 artifacts and art objects.
In 2020, the Booth Western Art Museum was named “Best Art Museum in the U.S.,” by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. “When we won the title Best Art Museum in the U.S.,” says Booth executive director Seth Hopkins, “we promised our fans we would do our best to live up to that lofty title. Little did we know that would soon translate into essentially running and programming two museums, the brick and mortar and the virtual one we have created online in response to the pandemic.”
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
Southwest Rising: Contemporary Art & the Legacy of Elaine Horwitch
October 10, 2020 - April 25, 2021
Indians & Cowboys: Redefined by Duke & Woodard
October 22, 2020 - February 21, 2021
Wildlife Artist Carrie Penley
January 5 - March 14, 2021
Admission & Membership
$12 Adults
$10 Seniors
$9 Students
FREE for Children (12 and under)
Membership starting at $50
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National Museum of Wildlife Art
2820 Rungius Road, Jackson, WY 83002
(307) 733-5771 • www.wildlifeart.org
The National Museum of Wildlife Art, a nonprofit founded in 1987, is a world-class art museum holding more than 5,000 artworks representing wild animals from around the world. Featuring work by prominent artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Robert Kuhn, John James Audubon and Carl Rungius, the museum’s unsurpassed permanent collection chronicles much of the history of wildlife in art, from 2500 B.C. to the present. 
Robert Bateman, Chief, acrylic on canvas, 71 x 98”. Gift of Birgit and Robert Bateman, National Museum of Wildlife Art. © Robert Bateman
Built into a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge, the museum features a museum shop, interactive children’s gallery, restaurant and an outdoor sculpture trail. The museum is only two-and-a-half miles north of Jackson Town Square and two miles from the gateway of Grand Teton National Park.
Reopened in early June, the National Museum of Wildlife Art has kept a high standard of cleanliness and caution throughout the summer. When visiting the museum, visitors are required to wear masks, and their temperature will be taken when they enter the building. The museum will continue to follow all CDC, federal, state and county guidelines to keep our museum safe and ready for our community. These guidelines are subject to change. Please check the website for the most up-to-date information.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
Living Legends: with a Special Tribute to Robert Bateman
October 31, 2020 - May 16, 2021
Sage Grouse: Icon of the West, Photography by Noppadol Paothong
November 3, 2020 - May 3, 2021
Un/Natural Selections: Wildlife in Contemporary Art
May 15 - August 29, 2021
Admission & Membership
$15 Adults, with discounts for seniors, military and children
FREE For Members
Membership starting at $50
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Desert Caballeros Western Museum
21 N. Frontier Street, Wickenburg, AZ 85390
(928) 684-2272 • www.westernmuseum.org
Embark on a genuine adventure at Desert Caballeros Western Museum in historic Wickenburg, Arizona, where world-class art collections meet interactive historical exhibitions. At the core of the museum’s art collection are prized works by artists such as George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, the Cowboy Artists of America and the Taos Society of Artists. 
Photo by Wayne Norton
The museum re-opened in May after a two-month closure. Masks are mandatory upon entering and precautionary measures have been put in place to ensure the health and safety of all visitors. For those that are not yet comfortable coming into the DCWM, the full Cowgirl Up! exhibition can be viewed in a virtual format on the website as well as a variety of online programming including Cowgirl Up! Zoom parties, educational activities and member virtual events.
The Museum’s Cultural Crossroads Learning Center offers dozens of lectures, workshops and concerts throughout the year. DCWM’s frequently rotating special exhibitions include the annual Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West exhibition and sale, featuring more than 60 of the West’s best women artists. Also currently showcasing is the exhibition Four Corners, Many Hands: Historic Navajo Textiles from the Collection of Sam and Brenda Crissman, which tells the story of Navajo weaving in the 19th and early-20th centuries.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
Bill Anton Paints the West Exhibit
December 19, 2020
Admission & Membership
$12 Adults
$10 Seniors
$10 AAA Member
FREE Active Military and Guest
FREE Children (17 and under)
Membership starting at $55
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The Clymer Museum & Gallery
416 N. Pearl Street, Ellensburg, WA 98926
(509) 962-6416 • www.clymermuseum.org
The Clymer holds a fascinating collection of John Ford Clymer’s work that range from sketches to oils, pastorals, wildlife, Western history and paintings for corporations and magazines. Clymer’s distinctive style is on full display on a regular basis.
The museum also has two galleries that showcase current Western artists from both near and far. In addition, visitors will find the museum gift shop featuring home arts, books, jewelry and other goodies.
The Clymer reopened in June and is open to the public with social distancing and masks required. If you’re not yet able to come in-person, visit the museums website for exhibit information, a history of John Clymer and a great review of paintings. Several videos are also available through the website.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
The Annual Small Works Show
November 2 - December 28, 2020
January More Out of the Closet Show
January 11 - February 25, 2021
Admission & Membership
FREE General Admission
Membership starting at $45
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Museum of Western Art
1550 Bandera Highway, Kerrville, TX 78028
(830) 896-2553 • www.museumofwesternart.com
The Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas, is known for its distinct architecture, grounds dotted with larger-than-life bronzes and a treasure trove of works from both historic and contemporary masters. 
Work in its permanent collection include those from George Phippen, Fred Harman, Will James, Joseph Henry Sharp and Oscar E. Berninghaus. Contemporary artists include Oreland Joe, Jason Scull, Bruce Greene, Bill Owen, Roy Andersen, Robert Pummill and Bill Nebeker. An on-site Western research library includes 6,000 volumes and periodicals.
“We’re so very excited about the many wonderful things planned in 2021 at the museum,” says Darrell Beauchamp, executive director of the Museum of Western Art. “We’re anticipating a fabulous year with exceptional exhibits and a few surprises, so if your travels bring you to Texas, please make time to visit us in the beautiful Hill Country, just an hour’s drive from San Antonio.”
The museum is open to the public and following guidelines for Covid-19 that require all visitors to wear a face covering upon entry.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
The 37th Annual Roundup Exhibition and Sale
September 26 - October 31, 2020
The Museum of Western Art Permanent Collection
Opens November 6, 2020
Women Artists of the West Exhibition
February 6 - March 19, 2021
Admission & Membership
$7 Adults and Seniors
$5 Children 9 to 17
$5 College Students (with ID)
FREE Children (8 and under)
Membership starting at $50
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Phippen Museum: Art & Heritage of the American West
4701 Highway 89 North, Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 778-1385 • phippen@phippenartmuseum.org
www.phippenartmuseum.org
When George Phippen, first president and co-founder of the Cowboy Artists of America, died in 1966, his work ethic and inspirational character as a Western painter and sculptor encouraged a group of friends, family and artists to pursue the creation of a facility in his honor that would specifically represent artists and artwork of the American West. 
Today, the art, heritage, history and legends of the American West can be found and explored at the Phippen Museum, along with a special focus on its namesake, George Phippen. After an extensive expansion project in 2012, the 17,000-square-foot facility boasts two studio replicas, four galleries, a museum store, the Kiwanis multipurpose classroom, the Pearl Room research library and four permanent exhibits, including the Bill & Marion Gary Western Heritage Gallery, the Ray Swanson Gallery and the Solon H. Borglum collection room. In addition, the museum presents rotating exhibitions throughout the year.
The museum is currently open, but is following state guidelines that include wearing masks and social distancing while visiting the museum.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
Miniature Masterpiece Show and Sale
May 1 – June 6, 2021
Hold Your Horses!
August 7 – September 19, 2021
Admission & Membership
$10 Adults
$8 Seniors, Active Military and Veterans
$5 Students
FREE Children (12 and under)
Membership starting at $40
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Steamboat Art Museum
807 Lincoln Avenue, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
(970) 870-1755 • www.steamboatartmuseum.org
Housed in the iconic First National Bank—Rehder Building (1905/1920), on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Steamboat Art Museum is located in the heart of downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Established in 2006, the museum presents artwork by living masters whose work is relevant to the culture and heritage of the West. The building provides an exquisite setting for its rotating exhibitions, including retrospective and national group shows. 
The museum regularly presents exhibitions that explore the various aspects of the West, from wildlife and landscapes to the expansion of the frontier in the 19th century. Artist retrospectives are also regular features. Recent shows have been held for Len Chmiel, James Morgan, John Fawcett, Donna Howell-Sickles, Scott Christensen, Jim Norton and Ken Carlson, as well as many others.
With more than 5,000 square feet of open exhibition space, the museum opened safely in June and follows the latest state and local safety guidelines. Masks are required.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
Four Directions – Common Paths: Oberg, Smith, Whitcomb Young
December 4, 2020 - April 10, 2021
SAM Plein Air Exhibition and Sale
September 24 - November 6, 2020
Photographers of Northwest Colorado
Summer 2021
Admission & Membership
FREE General Admission
Membership starting at $50
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The Brinton Museum
239 Brinton Road, Big Horn, WY 82833
(307) 672-3173 • www.thebrintonmuseum.org
The Brinton Museum is located on the 620-acre Quarter Circle A Ranch just outside of Big Horn, Wyoming. The property, originally owned by Bradford Brinton, was dedicated as a memorial and museum by Brinton’s sister, Helen Brinton, upon her death in 1960.
A personal friend of many artists, Bradford Brinton amassed a collection of Western art, Native American art, books and other fine items during his lifetime. Much of his collection is on display in the historic ranch house. In 2015, the Forrest E. Mars Jr. Building was opened to display the Gallatin Collection of Indian Art and pieces from Brinton’s collection, including works by Ed Borein, Bill Gollings, Frederic Remington, Thomas Moran, John Mix Stanley and Winold Reiss. The Brinton Museum also houses the largest collection of Hans Kleiber works in the world.
The museum is currently open to the public with some safety precautions in place. Facemasks are provided at the entrance, though not required for admission. All staff are required to wear masks and hand sanitizer is available throughout the museum. Signs are also posted throughout the museum reminding visitors to social distance.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
The Annual Brinton 101 Small Works Show
November - December, 2020
The 16th Illustrator Show – A Look Back at the First 15 Years
February - March, 2021
The Photographs of Edward Curtis
March - October, 2021
Admission & Membership
FREE General Admission
Membership starting at $40
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Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve
1925 Woolaroc Ranch Road, Bartlesville, OK 74003
(918) 336-0307 • www.woolaroc.org
The Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve was founded in 1925 by oilman Frank Phillips, and is a 3,700-acre working ranch that has a 50,000-square-foot museum with a collection described by Christie’s of New York as “one of the finest collections of Southwest art in the world.” 
The museum started out as a hangar in 1929 for the Woolaroc airplane, a plane Frank Phillips sponsored in the Dole Flight from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1927. Over the years, Phillips continued to receive gifts, made art acquisitions, and the museum grew room by room. Now they have more than 600 paintings, 300 bronzes and more than 2,300 pieces of Native American art and artifacts.
The Woolaroc collection includes a broad representation of paintings by many of the ‘old masters’ of Western art such as Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, William R. Leigh and Frank Tenney Johnson, but also represented are more contemporary artists such as Wilson Hurley, John Clymer, Clark Hulings and Bettina Steinke.
All grounds and facilities are now open during regular business hours, and all indoor facilities have sanitizer available and are routinely cleaned throughout the day. We highly encourage guests to wear masks when appropriate, and to limit the capacity in each indoor space.
Major Upcoming Exhibitions
The Woolaroc Retrospective Exhibit and Sale
October 15 - December 31, 2021
Admission & Membership
$14 Adults
$12 Seniors
FREE Children (12 & under)
Membership starting at $100 —
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