Knowing the West Exhibition Opens at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, is set to open a new exhibition titled “Knowing the West” on September 14, 2024. This major traveling exhibition marks a significant milestone in the museum’s programming.
The exhibition will run from September 14, 2024, to January 27, 2025, and will then travel to two additional venues. “Knowing the West” aims to redefine how we perceive and understand the American West by highlighting its diverse cultural influences, focusing on both Native American and non-Native American art created between 1785 and 1922.
Co-curated by Mindy Besaw and Jami Powell (Osage Nation), the exhibition features over 120 artworks comprising various media like textiles, baskets, paintings, pottery, sculpture, beadwork, saddles, and prints. This thorough assemblage serves to break down the traditional binary view of “cowboys and Indians” and instead celebrates the intricate complexities and diverse experiences that shaped the West.
The exhibition marks a significant shift in how American art is presented. By showcasing a range of artistic styles and makers, it questions and flattens historical hierarchies, potentially setting a new standard for how we rethink and re-present American art.
A companion book published by Rizzoli Electa will accompany the exhibition, further enriching our understanding of this pivotal period in American art and cultural history.
