Wyoming Arts Council

Public Grand Re-opening set for BBHC Whitney Gallery on Sunday, June 21

Uncategorized | June 4, 2009

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The Whitney Gallery of Western Art at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody celebrates its 50th anniversary with a series of events the weekend of June 19-21.

The Public Grand Re-opening will be held on Sunday, June 21, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Separate invitation-only previews for patrons and “special friends” will be held on Friday and Saturday.

To get more details about the Whitney renovation and reinstallation, go to its blog at http://whitneyreinstall.wordpress.com/. Above is a photo from the reinstallation work.

Here’s some background on the efforts that led up to the 50th anniversary happenings at the BBHC:

To commemorate this significant milestone, events, publications, gallery renovations and the addition of a new artist’s studio are in the works. While visitors can certainly appreciate the beautiful paintings and sculpture currently within the gallery, the artwork does not speak for itself. A new installation and interpretation helps put the artwork into context – making it come alive. The installation is going to encourage visitors to make connections across cultures and time to see the old masterworks in a new light.

The new themes and flow of the gallery are being developed with much thought and consideration to the visitor – presenting an innovative way of interpreting western American art that gives context, encourages discovery, and presents the artwork in a beautiful, quiet, and contemplative space.

The Whitney Gallery reopens to the public on June 21, and when it does we believe it is going to be worth the wait — trusting that our visitors are going to fully appreciate and enjoy the Whitney’s treasured artworks all the more.

The Whitney Gallery of Western Art is where you find masterworks by revered artists such as George Catlin, Alfred Jacob Miller, Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, Alexander Phimister Proctor, W.R. Leigh, Joseph Henry Sharp, N.C. Wyeth and many others.

The studios of Frederic Remington and W.H.D. Koerner, as well as the original studio cabin of J.H. Sharp, give visitors an uncommon opportunity to see the artists’ work environment and discover their process of creation.

PHOTO: In April, Whitney Gallery staff reinstalled a 1996 oil painting by Allan Mardon, “The Battle of Greasy Grass.” This museum purchase is oil on linen and wooden frame with painted tin figures, 76″x136″. To view details of the painting, go to this BBHC site: http://tinyurl.com/op9wwz

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