Curating the West

Each Month We Ask Leading Museum Curators About What’s Going On In Their World.

Noppadol Paothong, Morning Glory on the Red Desert (Greater Sage Grouse), 2019, photograph, 24 x 36”

What event (gallery show, museum exhibit, etc.) in the next few months are you looking forward to, and why?
I am looking forward to seeing any exhibit right now! Of course I am excited about our openings at NMWA. This fall we are featuring an exhibition about Sage Grouse that is comprised of photographs by Noppadol Paothong and next summer we will be opening Un/Natural Selections, which speaks to the different and complex ways contemporary artists represent wildlife. I am drawn to exhibits of contemporary or modern artworks, including artists Yoyio Kusama, Kay WalkingStick and Julie Buffalohead, who have had solo exhibitions this summer.

What are you reading?

I usually have several books going at one time. Currently, I am reading a biography on George Washington (You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington) written by Alexis Coe, who is the first woman to write a biography on Washington. Proud Raven, Painting Wolf by Emily Moore, which has to do with totem parks in Alaska and the New Deal Arts Program. In fiction,
I recently finished Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, who is a favorite of mine. And I have begun Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, which seemed relatable at this moment. Both Erdrich and Marquez are wonderful storytellers, who create compelling characters that provide deeper understanding of varied world histories and cultures.

Interesting exhibit, gallery opening or work of art you’ve seen recently.

I haven’t really been too far from NMWA this year. The Tucker Smith retrospective was great, but I am a bit biased. Last summer I saw Hearts of Our People at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which is an amazing exhibit about the artwork of Native American women. It is one of my all-time favorite exhibitions. Art of Native America at the Met is comprised of incredible artworks. I really enjoyed a virtual tour of The Jackson Hole 5, which features five women artists from Jackson and was exhibited at the Booth Museum. I hope to make it to Denver soon to see the Mexican Mondernism exhibition.

What are you researching at the moment?

I am researching our upcoming exhibitions, so I am doing some in-depth research on contemporary artists and how they feature wildlife. I recently did some in-depth research on the artist Marvin Oliver, who created the impressive totem pole that we have in our front gallery. I am also researching contemporary artists and how they perceive wildlife art in their work.

What is your dream exhibit to curate? Or see someone else curate?

I have really thought about this question. Although there are several exhibits that I would like to curate—and I have more than one in development right now—what I am hoping to see in the future is an exhibit, or several exhibits that mark this time of pandemic as a significant moment in art history. I have seen artists react to [this] worldwide situation in some very interesting and clever ways, from fear to hope, representing how they see their world in this moment. Exhibits that mark our history are important and I imagine that such an exhibit would include some wildlife art, and I think I can help with that. —