This exhibition illuminates the story of the West and Native peoples, through the faces of those who have shaped our perceptions. Facing West features portraits and portrayals of Westerners and Native Americans by historic and living artists. Work on display is drawn from the Eiteljorg Museum’s collecting areas: Western art, contemporary art, and Native American art. These fascinating works represent people from many eras, regions, and cultural groups in a wide variety of styles, techniques, materials, and interpretations.

 

Facing West opens with three iconic works that reflect its broad scope: paintings by Fritz Scholder, one of the most important and controversial Native American artists of the 20^th century, and legendary Taos painter E. I. Couse; and a historically important eagle-feather headdress worn by members of a notable Miami Indian family. The exhibition is organized in six principal sections, tied together using the theme of diversity: Cultural Heroes, Native Voices/Talking Back, Children and Families, Self Portraits, Spirit Portraits, and Counter-Culture. 

 

Facing West includes the images of popular cultural heroes, such as showman Buffalo Bill and black cowboy Bill Pickett, along with lesser-known Westerners and Native Americans: military men, tribal leaders, working cowboys, and horse women. All are represented through ceramics, photography, paintings, drawings, sculpture, textiles, and even skateboards. Native Voices/Talking Back compares and contrasts representations of Natives by non-Native artists with self-representations by Native artists, while Spirit Portraits reveals the portraiture inherent in masks and ritual dances.

 

To commemorate the museum’s 20th anniversary, many of the works exhibited in Facing West will highlight memorable events, art acquisitions and programs throughout the history of the institution. If you are a longtime museum member, you surely will be reminded of some of the exhibitions and programs you have enjoyed over the years. This also will be your first opportunity to see selected works from the newly-acquired Helen Cox Kersting Collection of Southwestern Cultural Arts. 

Be sure to visit the museum on Facing West Opening Day on March 14.