The American West Comes East

Many Wests brings a reimagining of this iconic region to SAAM 

Headshot of woman with black hair
Rebekah Mejorado
Public Relations Specialist
July 28, 2023
A mural at the end of a hallway. The left wall is painted deep red. The mural is of a painting of a Native woman sitting in front of a lake with snowy mountains in the distance.

Installation photography of Many Wests: Artists Shape and American Idea at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Mural based on the Four Seasons series: Summer (2006) by Wendy Red Star (Apsalooke/Crow); Photo by Albert Ting

You probably grew up learning the history of how the West was won, but the exhibition Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea remixes, reimagines, and retells stories of how the West was not one. Examining the perspectives of 48 modern and contemporary artists who offer a broader and more inclusive view of this region, Many Wests has been on a compelling national tour to bring a more nuanced and multifaceted history to light. Now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this is the only chance to experience the exhibition east of the Rockies. 

Two off-white, beaded bonnets on display in a glass case. In the background is a large painting.

Installation photography of Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2023, Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum; Photos by Albert Ting 

The featured artists, many of whom identify as Asian American, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ+, challenge previous misconceptions and question racist clichés that make up one of the United States’s most iconic regions, which too often has been dominated by romanticized myths and Euro-American historical accounts.  

Their works address the past and present, revealing that “the West” has always been a place of multiple stories, experiences, and cultures. By collaborating with museum partners who are based in the American West, the exhibition highlights the voices of artists with deep ties to the region. This makes the exhibition especially meaningful. “In all of my works I feel like I am trying to be conscious of history, of our multiple histories, where they intersect and where they divide,” explained artist Rubén Trejo in 2001. “I am acutely aware of how language, quite literally, shapes who we are.”  

  

Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea is a magnificent example of this significant reconceptualization of the region’s history.” —Les Roka, The Utah Review

Many Wests is the culmination of a multi-year Art Bridges Initiative organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. SAAM partnered with four museums located in some of the fastest-growing cities and states in the Western-region of the United States—the Boise Art Museum in Idaho; the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City; the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, Oregon and the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington. Many Wests brings together artworks from the permanent collections of all five museums. 

A woman with long braids is looking at a vibrant abstract painting, which hangs on a bright blue wall.

Installation photography of Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2023, Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum; Photos by Albert Ting 

Two people are looking at a painting on a gallery wall. The painting depicts a scene of a work camp and is painted in mostly blues and yellows. It is hanging on a dark red wall.

Installation photography of Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2023, Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum; Photos by Albert Ting 

Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea is on view at SAAM July 28, 2023 through January 14, 2024. More about the national tour and themes of the exhibition can be found on SAAM Stories

Categories

Recent Posts

Embroidered tapestry with the Virgen de Guadalupe in the center, flowers around the frame, and barbed wire slashing through the middle of the work.
How Consuelo Jimenez Underwood weaves lived experiences into her artwork.
Amy Fox
Social Media and Digital Content Specialist
A quilt with large, concentric squares hang in a gallery. Quilts are mounted on the wall behind it.
Exploring SAAM's collection of stunning Amish quilts
SAAM
Highly decorative wooden bench.
Explore artist Rachel David's functional artwork created for SAAM's Renwick Gallery.
Elana Hain