They viewed the West through the eyes of our artists, who relayed a picture of our land with bold strokes of brilliant red, abstract landscapes, photo-realistic depictions of homesteaders and cowboys, and photographs that took their breath away.
Those are the images from “Out West: The Great American Landscape,” which just returned from China and opened in America at the Dana Gallery on Thursday evening in downtown Missoula.
“He's a beer drinker,” Schweitzer told a gathering of artists and art lovers, some of whose paintings are in the exhibit. Schweitzer snipped the red ribbon that officially opened the exhibit to the public.
The dozens of pieces of contemporary Western art recently returned from China, a voyage made possible by the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C., which promotes cultural exchange abroad.
“It was hugely received,” said Nancy Matthews, curator of the exhibit, who flew in from Washington for the ceremonial opening. “The people just loved it. They have a fascination with the American West.”
The exhibit is the second half of an art exchange that began in the autumn of 2005, when the Montana Museum of Art & Culture at the University of Montana exhibited “Ancient Threads, Newly Woven: Recent Art from China's Silk Road,” a show of contemporary Chinese art.
“I can't think of a time in my lifetime that cultural exchange and diplomacy is more needed,” said Barb Koostra, executive director of the MMAC.
Montana is heavily represented in the exhibit - in fact, more than any other state in the West. Artists like George Gogas, Stephanie Frostad, Monte Dolack, Julie Chapman, Dudley Dana and Dana Boussard all have works in the exhibit.
“We're well-represented and Montanans should be very proud that they're the leaders in this exhibit,” said Geoff Sutton, a curatorial assistant and adviser for “Out West.”
Schweitzer called the era of free trade and cultural exchange part of the “third wave” of Chinese immigration to Montana, the others being the Bering Land Bridge that brought nomadic peoples to North America, and the wave of Chinese who settled here to mine and build railroads.
“This wave is built around trade,” the governor said. “And this time we think it will work, enriching us through culture.”
Reach reporter Jamie Kelly at 523-5254 or at jkelly@missoulian.com
Our land on display
“Out West: The Great American Landscape,” an exhibit of contemporary Western art, is on display at the Dana Gallery through Feb. 29. There is a First Friday reception from 5-8 p.m. The Dana Gallery is located at 246 N. Higgins Ave.
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