Art Beat: Celebrating Photography – C&I Magazine
Kenny Rogers didn’t just sing to America — he photographed it, as an exhibition at the Booth Western Art Museum shows. This, and more, on view around the West.
Through March 31
Through the Lens of Navajo Photographer Priscilla Tacheny
Southwest landscape and portrait photographer Priscilla Tacheny (Navajo) feels a special connection with Nature’s subjects and its energy. The evidence of her many travels to scenic areas across the Southwest to capture the beauty of Mother Earth and Father Sky can be seen in this 31-piece exhibition of her work. Amerind Museum, Dragoon, Arizona, 520.586.3666, amerind.org
Priscilla Tacheny, Hogan Galaxy. Photo credit: courtesy of the artist
Through April 2
Portrayals of the American West
Made possible through a collaboration of several northwest Colorado entities, this exhibition showcases the work of renowned Western photographers Roland Reed, Edward Curtis, L.A. Huffman, and A.G. and Augusta Wallihan. It includes original Wallihan glass plates, photogravures by Curtis, silver gelatin prints from Reed’s glass plates, and contact prints, unpublished prints, original signed prints, and photogravures. Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 970.870.1755, steamboatartmuseum.org
Roland Reed, The Pottery Maker, 1913, silver gelatin print, 30” x 37”. Photo credit: courtesy of Roland Reed Gallery/Jace Romick Gallery
Through April 22
Gus Foster: Panoramic Photographs of Northern New Mexico
This exhibition of large-scale mountain photographs includes works beginning with images by photographer Gus Foster during his first years in Taos in the 1970s, when he was working with antique panoramic Cirkut cameras and using black-and-white film. It continues through his move in the 1980s to color film with a unique enlarger and custom color darkroom and concludes with his recent digital camerawork, no longer panoramic in format, but still exploring themes of time and space. Harwood Museum of Art, 575.758.9826, harwoodmuseum.org
Gus Foster; Sunset, Moonrise, Highline Ridge; 1986; 403° archival pigment print. Photo credit: courtesy of the artist.
Through April 30, 2023
Light and Legacy: The Art and Techniques of Edward S. Curtis
Showcasing Edward Curtis’ skill in the darkroom as well as his groundbreaking photographic work, this 900-plus-item exhibition includes photogravures, original copper plates, orotones, platinum prints, silver bromides, silver gelatins, cyanotypes, glass-plate negatives, and field recordings made by Curtis of Native music. Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Scottsdale, Arizona, 480.686.9539, scottsdalemuseumwest.org
Edward S. Curtis, The Three Chiefs – Piegan, c. 1900, albumen photograph, 11.25” x 15.50”. Peterson Family Collection
February 5 – 27
The Art of Photography
This show of photography as art comprises approximately 75 – 80 photographs of all sizes and on a variety of surfaces by about 25 artists. It will hang in the Borrego Art Institute gallery in conjunction with the annual Anza-Borrego Foundation Photo Contest, which features photographs of Anza-Borrego State Park. Borrego Art Institute, Borrego Springs, California, 760.767.5152, borregoartinstitute.org
February 9 – 13
Tubac Fine Arts Festival
Paintings, sculpture, jewelry, pottery, photography, and more by about 200 juried artists fill the booths lining this historic town during Southern Arizona’s longest-running outdoor art festival. Enjoy live music as well as ethnic and regional cuisine. Tubac, Arizona, 520.398.2704, tubacaz.com
February 13 – March 27
Masters of the American West
New works by 64 of the top contemporary painters and sculptors working in the Western genre are featured in The Autry’s 25th annual Masters of the American West Art Exhibition and Sale. The Art Sale Weekend, February 25 and 26, includes an artists’ reception, artist talks, awards presentation, fixed-price art sale, and an after-sale soiree. Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, 323.667.2000, theautry.org
Bill Anton, Taking It All In, oil on linen, 36” x 50”. Photo credit: courtesy of the artist
February 17 – July 10
Through the Years: Kenny Rogers’ Photographs of America
Shedding new light on the seriousness of Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Roger’s pursuit of his photographic hobby, this exhibition presents a selection of 60 of Rogers’ stunning color and black-and-white photographs of America — the land, its celebrities, and its working people. Among the exhibition highlights are 18 portraits, many of which are inscribed to Rogers by the subject. Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, Georgia, 770.367.1300, boothmuseum.org
Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, 1987, chromogenic print, Courtesy of The Estate of Kenneth Ray Rogers and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
February 20 – May 8
Beauty and Life: The Finis Welch Collection
On view for the first time are newly acquired photographs by Ansel Adams, Edward Steichen, Dorothea Lange, Marco Breuer, Edward Weston, and more, plus artworks from Texas collector Finis Welch’s collection of more than 240 photographs and works on paper. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, 817.738.1933, cartermuseum.org
Dorothea Lange (1895–1965), Oklahoma Sharecropper and Family Entering California. Stalled on the Desert Near Idaho, 1937, gelatin silver print, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Bequest of Finis Welch, P2021.46.76
February 26 – March 26
American Plains Artists Signature Show & Sale
Realistic and representational artworks depicting cowboys, Indians, wildlife, landscapes, and other scenes of life on the American plains are on view and available for purchase at this annual show. Meet the nationally recognized artists at the opening reception February 26. The Museum of Western Art, Kerrville, Texas, 308.249.1488, americanplainsartists.com
June Dudley, Tightening Up, acrylic, 16″ x 20″. Photo credit: courtesy of the artist
February 18 – 28
San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show and American Indian Art Show/ San Francisco
Due to COVID, these shows are virtual again this year. An international art show devoted to top-tier works from Africa, Asia, Australia, Oceania, and the Americas, the Tribal & Textile Art Show offers museum-quality objects and artifacts from more than 60 national and international galleries and exhibitors. Perhaps the most significant showcase of American Indian art on the West Coast, the American Indian Art Show/San Francisco emphasizes antique American Indian art as well as Pre-Columbian, Spanish colonial, and the best in contemporary American Indian art from more than 30 exhibitors. objectsofartshows.com
Cover image: Kenny Rogers, Self-portrait, pigment print, Courtesy of The Estate of Kenneth Ray Rogers