NSA Lecture: Knowing the West
[Visual Legacies of the American West]

Lectures are held in Kaufman Theater at 11 a.m., with refreshments served in Huber Court at 10:30 a.m.

Through the generous support of our members, the Norfolk Society of Arts offered world-class lectures to the vibrant Hampton Roads community that are free and open to the public. The NSA’s free lecture series was established in the 1950s and continues to bring notable curators, historians, architects, journalists, professors, and others to the Chrysler Museum of Art. Consider becoming a member today.

Co-curators Jami Powell and Mindy Besaw will share insights about the exhibition to embrace the American West as more inclusive, complex, and reflective of the diverse peoples who contributed to art and life there. Americans often feel they “know the West,” whether informed by direct experience or popular culture.

The exhibition of over 120 historic works by Native Americans and non-Native American artists brings together textiles, baskets, paintings, pottery, sculpture, beadwork, saddles, and prints to encourage deeper exploration of a familiar topic. This talk will discuss themes of the exhibition, highlight remarkable artworks and stories about the artists, and share more about the deeply collaborative process used to organize and realize the exhibition.