West to East

Discover how artists across America have been inspired by their communities and the places they call home.

Pacific Northwest

Video:  Artist Marie Watt Explores the Story of Turtle Island

Marie Watt, an artist and member of the Seneca Nation, takes us into the story of Turtle Island and its connection to her work, family, and Native American history. 

Article:  There Will Be Light 

Not constrained by any one medium, style, or artistic tradition, Barbara Earl Thomas is eager to step into the unknown as she continues telling her story.

Article:  The Japanese-American Artist Who Shaped Flowing Water

The multidisciplinary artist George Tsutakawa found inspiration in the Pacific Northwest’s natural environment and dedicated his life to art. His family follows in his footsteps.

Hawaiʻi

Alaska

West

Article:  The Last of the Buffalo and their Revival

Albert Bierstadt’s twin paintings of the disappearing American bison became part of the movement to save the animal from extinction.

Article:  The Once Great Salt Lake

Utah artists respond to the receding lake, mourning what is disappearing but also imagining a future in which it endures.

Southwest

Video:  “Where the Earth Meets the Sky”

Artist Charles Ross spent half his life making “Star Axis,” a work of art that allows you to travel 13,000 years into the future and 13,000 years into the past. 

Article:  Emmi Whitehorse Paints the Harmonies of Her Homelands

How the Diné artist's serene paintings "tell the story of knowing land over time."

Article:  Sentinels and Sprawl: Photographs of the Saguaro Cactus

As the presence of humans changes the Sonoran Desert, photographers capture the impact on the saguaro cactus.

Article:  Art that Represents, and Misrepresents, the US-Mexico Border

How contemporary artists working in El Paso and Juárez counter mainstream narratives of the region.

Article:  Mark Klett's Rephotography of the American West

How the photographer’s journey tracking down views from 19th century photographs altered the writer’s understanding of space and time.

Southeast

Article:  A Peacemaker’s Prayer for Change in Birmingham

Joe Minter has spent more than three decades creating an environmental artwork on his property. He hopes it can heal the world’s spiritual wounds through its messages of love and connection.

Video:  Stitching Mississippi Stories

Coulter Fussell, a diner waitress turned artist, makes her kids’ Snapchat messages into art.

South Central

Video:  Rick Lowe's Art Blends Canvas and Community in Houston's Third Ward

Rick Lowe, artist and community organizer, takes us to his home in the 3rd ward of Houston, Texas.

Artist Hannah Chalew in her New Orleans studio

Article:  What Is an Artist’s Role in Preserving Louisiana’s Coastline?

New Orleans artist Hannah Chalew explores how her own work and practice can contribute to a sustainable future.

Article:  Making Home Anew with Clay and Fire

Oklahoma potter Richard Zane Smith revives techniques, memories, and practices of Waⁿdat culture.

Midwest

Article:  Potter Richard Bresnahan Navigates an “Eco-mutual” Future

The Minnesota artist's humanist, ecological pottery contains operating instructions for our shared survival.

Article:  Modernist Barns and Modern Farmers

How Grant Wood, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Thomas Hart Benton depicted the humble structures—and how they mask the struggles of farmers today.

Article:  Iowa Artists Craft Complex Visions of the Rural

How artists based in Iowa, from the early 20th century to today, have crafted their own visions of the region.

Article:  Called Back: On George Morrison, Land Acknowledgement, and Returning Home

In her tribute to the late George Morrison, Ojibwe artist Andrea Carlson asks, how can Indigenous artists be called back to the land?

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Stories

Read, watch, or listen to inspiring stories about art and creativity.

Storytellers in Residence

Storytellers can help us understand art in new ways. We invited two to spend a week at the museum and explore art that inspired them.