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THE MYTH AND THE

MIRROR: ARTWORK OF

THE AMERICAN WEST

Jan. 20–April 1, 2018

he Myth and The Mirror: Artwork
Tof the American West examines the
American West as both a real and an
imagined place that embodies the fraught
interconnections between exploration
and colonization, national identity, and
manifest destiny. This exhibition explores
the art of this iconic region of the United
States by utilizing The University of
Arizona Museum of Art’s Western Art
collection, including artworks from every
decade of the 20th century and the first
decade of the 21st century. It is curated by
Dustin Shores and Eric Wilson.

Many artists have portrayed and
celebrated the natural beauty of the area
and glorified the lives of its inhabitants.
Others question the complicated history
and portrayal of Native Americans and
Mexicans in light of exploitation of both
people and land. In this exhibition, “myth”
represents a range of often romanticized
and glorified views of the American West,
while “mirror” underscores the fluid
terrain of meaning in representation and
seeks out a more nuanced view of this
place, both real and imagined. The Myth
and The Mirror invites viewers to see that
there are, in fact, many American “wests”
and to consider the artists, institutions,
archives, curators and historians who have
contributed to its construction.

SPRING 2018 47