Excitement abounds as the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art features its fourth edition of the invitational exhibition, Resonance.The museum, founded to preserve and promote the artwork of A.R. Mitchell, honors this iconic Western artist and cowboy each year in a unique fashion. Some of today’s best Western artists are invited to recreate, in their own style, imagery from one of Mitchell’s personal photographs taken from his life in the American West.
A.R. Mitchell (1899-1977), Man horse saddle rodeo cowboy lariat, photograph.
“To date, much of Mitchell’s photography remains unseen by the public,” explains Allyson Sheumaker, museum executive director. “Three years ago, literally thousands of images were discovered in an unattended part of the museum’s storage area, igniting the idea for this show. Mitchell’s photographs, taken from the 1930s through the mid-1950s, were used as research for his own illustrations and paintings. The museum continues its ambitious mission to archive this massive collection, which offers a goldmine of regional history featuring a diverse group of people, places and scenarios.”
The museum displays an enlarged print of the chosen photograph together with the artist’s work so that viewers may enjoy a photo-journalistic exhibit of the true Old West next to contemporary interpretations of those times.
Julie T. Chapman, Rodeo Ghosts, mixed media on panel, 24 x 20 in.
For example, we see artist Julie T. Chapman portray her vision of Mitchell’s rodeo action photo in Rodeo Ghosts. “This was my first time working from a period photo, complete with action blur, monochrome and grain. I found the lack of detail freeing—it played right into my approach of leaving parts of my subject for the viewer to interpret. It’s the first time I’ve reached back a hundred years to pay homage to an unknown rodeo team who are long gone. I hope I honored their spirit.”
Visit the museum in Trinidad, Colorado, to see the full display of work completed by 40-plus artists. An opening reception kicks off the exhibition on October 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibition hangs through December 31. —
Resonance 2025: 4th Annual Art Invitational
October 3-December 31, 2025
A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art
150 E. Main Street, Trinidad, CO 81081
(719) 846-4224, www.armitchellmuseum.com
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