Booth Western Art Museum surveys talent across the Southwest in the exhibition, “Twenty-First Century Regionalists: Art of the New West,” on view through April 13. The exhibition amasses art interpretive of the Southwest terrain with a contemporary edge.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the work of sculptor Mark Yale Harris, who studied his craft under the most well respected artists of the West, Bill Prokopiof (Aleut, 1944‱999) and Doug Hyde (Nez Perce), both men noted proteges of the nation’s most recognized Native American artist, sculptor Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache, 1915‱994).
Harris’s stylized stone and bronze forms are deeply inspired by the Southwest, from the austere cowboy and herd of longhorns to the powerful grace of the horse. His work is noted for calling forth the viewer to touch the smooth burnishes. Critics have long appreciated his work for its simplicity and ability to convey pure emotion.
Also showcased is the work of Rebecca and Joshua Tobey, brightly colored bronze sculptures of animals with elements of abstraction and realism. Other participating artists include Woody Gwyn, Elaine Holien, Tricia Higgins Hurt, Trish Booth, Howard Post, Doug Smith, Jim Vogel, Josh Eliot, Gary Ernest Smith, Louisa McElwain and Ed Sandoval.
Curator James Burns says the exhibition “represents the stylistic center of the spectrum of Western art today.”
The museum is at 501 Museum Drive. For information, www.boothmuseum.org or 770-387-1300.
