Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West in Arizona.Jim Bruner
Chairman Emeritus, Board of Trustees
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
Scottsdale, AZ
(480) 686-9539
www.scottsdalemuseumwest.org
What event (gallery show, museum exhibit, etc.) in the next few months are you looking forward to, and why?
While we have exhibits scheduled out as far ahead as 2024 through our curator, Dr. Tricia Loscher,
I am still enthralled by our featured exhibit Light and Legacy: The Art and Techniques of Edward S. Curtis. This is the largest collection of its kind and every time I visit the museum, I spend time discovering a new aspect to the exhibit I had not noticed previously. The pictures he took—and with no iPhone I might add—are stunning portrayals of a great people from north Mexico, the western United States and Canada, even up to Alaska. A few upcoming exhibits that intrigue me are the Werner Segarra: Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo in June 2023 and even sooner than that, The Gather: Portrait of the American West — Scott T. Baxter. Scott Baxter is a local artist who is well known for his work on 100 Years 100 Ranchers, a 10-year official Legacy Project for the Arizona Centennial.
What are you reading?
Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time by Stephen Fried is one of the most engaging books I have ever read. This is the story of Fred Harvey, who came to this country from England at age 15, and started working as a dishwasher in a New York City restaurant. He went on to create the Harvey Girls, provide fine dining facilities on the Santa Fe railroad cars, that in turn opened up the West to thousands of folks from the East Coast. He built hotels such as La Posoda in Winslow and the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, among many others. Western Spirit museum has a model railroad exhibit, funded by Howie Alper, one of the museum’s trustees, that recreates this Arizona connection.
Interesting exhibit, gallery opening or work of art you’ve seen recently.
While my wife, Sandy, and I attend many openings and exhibits across metropolitan Phoenix, we are big fans of Western art so we are drawn back to Western Spirit almost every time. The other exhibit at Western Spirit that always intrigues me is the Hopi art exhibit that was gifted to us by Judith and Allan. R Cooke. They just recently donated an additional 75 pots to the museum, which we hope to start rotating into this permanent exhibit. Dr. Cook has also just co-authored a second book on this art, The Call of Beauty: Masterworks by Nampeyo of Hopi. Right now, that book is only available at our museum store.
What are you researching at the moment?
Our board of trustees is currently evaluating ways to manage and profile some large collections that we have recently been awarded. This includes possible expansion—quite remarkable for an institution that has only been open for 7 years. These collections are well-earned based on our respect, care and consideration of the art itself, the artist and the collector.
What is your dream exhibit to curate? Or see someone else curate?
One that educates, engages, informs and inspires to illuminate the past to assist in shaping our future. There are many stories still to be told about the migration across the continent and its impact on the explorers as well as the Native American population. —
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