Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West (Exhibition)
Title: Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West
Curator: Betsy Fahlman, Ph.D., Adjunct Curator of American art at Phoenix Art Museum
Abstract: Throughout modern history, the mining industry has transformed the American West, competing with the scenic landscape on its own terms. In the first half of the 20th century, large-scale and open pit mines across Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah dramatically altered the natural environment and dictated the lives of those who worked in them, with cyclical booms that provided employment for generations of families and economic crashes that often left ghost towns and mass unemployment in their wake. In the Copper State, mining has been fundamental to Arizona’s regional identity since the time of statehood in 1912, when an economy built around the five C’s—cattle, cotton, citrus, climate, and copper—began to take shape. In fact, mining, ranching, agriculture, and tourism still significantly define Arizona’s cultural identity, even today. Over the decades, mining has continued to shape natural landscapes across the western United States, creating striking views in their own right. However, public knowledge on the destructive environmental and health effects of mining, as well as its massive impact on social, economic, and political systems, has increased, revealing the vexed legacy of the industry. Through more than 80 paintings, prints, and sculptures, Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West explores the modern evolution of mining imagery from the 1910s to the present. The exhibition begins with works from the early- to mid-20th century, when artists portrayed regional themes and industries in their work, inspired, in part, by New Deal programs during the 1930s and early 1940s. Contemporary works created into the 2010s stand in contrast by demonstrating how artists have, over time, become more attuned to the monumental impact that humans, technology, mining, and other industries have on the natural world, with a number examining the ongoing legacy of pollution specifically.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://phxart.org/exhibition/landscapes-of-extraction/
Primary URL Description: Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West - Phoenix Art Museum - November 7, 2021 – March 6, 2022
Landscapes of extraction : The art of mining in the American West (Catalog)
Title: Landscapes of extraction : The art of mining in the American West
Author: Betsy Fahlman
Author: James R Swensen
Author: Barbara L Jones
Author: William L Fox
Author: Phoenix Art Museum
Abstract: Catalogue to accompany the exhibition, Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West, on view at Phoenix Art Museum November 7, 2021 - March 6, 2022.
This exhibition, of more than fifty works of varying media and subject matter, explores the historical and contemporary impact of the mining industry on the people, places, and prosperity of the Southwest. From earlier works that celebrate the sweat of the brow and the romance of industry and productivity, to contemporary works that examine the environmental impact of mining on our desert home, Landscapes of Extraction offers a nuanced examination of the intersection of humanity, multilayered as the landscapes featured in its painting and prints, and that both the exhibition and this accompanying catalogue will open the door to conversations about the future of industry and sustainability in the Southwest.
Hardcover, 176 pages | 100 color plates | 9 1/4 x 10 3/4
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://store.phxart.org/collections/landscapes-of-extraction/products/landscapes-of-extraction-the-art-of-mining-in-the-american-west
Primary URL Description: PhxArt The Museum Store
Catalog Type: Exhibition Catalog
Publisher: Munich : Hirmer ; Phoenix, Arizona : Phoenix Art Museum, [2021]