The American West: People, Place and Ideas

The Great American West--a place familiar yet exotic, one that symbolizes the American spirit and character. What defines the West? The splendidly varied works of the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning, New York, prove that there is not one West, but many. The American West presents highlights of the museum's collection of western and Native American art--truly the best of the West in the East. Founded in 1976 by Robert Rockwell, the Rockwell Museum housed and exhibited fine collections of western art, Carder glass, guns, and antique toys. In 2000 the board of trustees decided to reinvent the museum, focusing and building on its collections of western and Native American art. In 2001, it reopened as The Rockwell Museum of Western Art. In The American West, readers can view this vast and diverse region through the eyes of such artists as John Woodhouse Audubon, Emil Bisttram, Blackbear Bosin, John Ford Clymer, Charles Marion Russell, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Andy Warhol, Newell Convers Wyeth, and many more. Suzan Campbell's historical analysis sets each piece in context, and quotes from writers and artists enrich our experience of the collection's many visions of the West.