The A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art gears up for its annual Resonanceexhibition, featuring more than 60 artists from across the country. The invitational showcase honors the life and work of the artist-illustrator A.R. Mitchell, who is known for his depictions of Western life in fine art and in countless magazine covers. Show artists are invited to “breathe contemporary life into historical moments of the American West.”
Arthur Roy Mitchell (1889-1977), Native American Women, photograph.
“The Resonance concept bridges the past and the present by inviting modern artists to explore the museum’s extensive archives,” says Allyson Sheumaker, the museum’s executive director. “Using original 1900s photographs taken by legendary Western pulp illustrator Arthur Roy Mitchell as their direct source material, participating artists interpret these bygone times through their own unique styles, mediums and artistic voices. The result is a vibrant visual conversation where vintage documentary photography echoes through modern painting and sculpture.”
Sheumaker adds, “The past does not sit quietly at the museum—it hums, and in Resonance,that hum becomes an active conversation. These photographs were once specific documents of a time, place and eye. Placed in the hands of contemporary masters, they are transformed into unexpected, stunning new artworks.”
Zachary Glenn Tutor, Mothers, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in.
Examples to expect at this year’s exhibition include Zachary Glenn Tutor’s oil painting Mothers, which is a recreation of Mitchell’s photograph of two Native American women. “Central to Tutor’s mature body of work is a sustained focus on the Indigenous and hardworking women of the American West, whose presence has often been marginalized within traditional Western iconography,” reads Tutor’s artist statement. “Rather than treating these figures as secondary or solely symbolic, he positions them as the primary agents of endurance, labor and cultural continuity.”
Arthur Roy Mitchell (1889-1977), Untitled image of horses and riders, photograph.
Another impressive piece to watch for is Cody Kuehl’s Cattle Prod Fence, stemming from Mitchell’s hazy photograph of two men on horseback, kicking up dust. Kuehl is known for his distinct “New West” paintings with a unique, stylistic interpretation merging detailed graphical subjects with abstract underlays. Kuehl is the board president of the A.R. Mitchell Museum, where he also has his gallery, Kuehl Fine Art.
Kuehl’s painting Rusteling,features layered geometric patterns found in the scene’s clouds, landscape, figures and horses. He also includes a bold color palette, creating a striking and fresh take on the Mitchell photo.
Cody Kuehl, Rusteling, acrylic on canvas. 48 x 60 in.
Collectors will also find work by artists Andrew Higdon, Kim Mackey, Sarah Boston and many more. The exhibition opens with a reception at the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art in Trinidad, Colorado, on October 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. Complimentary light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served during the reception, which is free and open to the public. The show will hang through December 30. —
Resonance
October 2-December 30, 2026
A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art
150 E. Main Street Trinidad, CO 81082
(719) 846-4224
www.armitchellmuseum.com
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