The North American West has been inhabited for millennia, but our vision of its history and cultures has been shaped, perhaps disproportionally, by the modern invention of photography. Eye on the West showcases photographs made since 1960 and encourages viewers to consider the continuing relationship between the region and the medium, to think about the ways that photographers influence our understanding of the contemporary West, its people and its places.
Eye on the West does not propose a grand narrative about the contemporary West or American photography so much as it strives to encourage contemplation and inquiry. The photographs on the ground floor are arranged by broad themes: The Land, Marks on the Land, Working, Ceremony, Family, Development, Infrastructure, Activism, Conflict, Recreation, Destruction, Remnants, and Regrowth. The curved cases at the head of the stairs on the mezzanine are devoted to portraits: Faces of the West and Children of the West. Photobooks as well as seventeen large-format photographs are also displayed on the mezzanine.
Eye on the West features 158 photographs by 20 photographers in the Beinecke Library collections:
Harry Adams · Abe Aronow · Marion Belanger · Richard Buswell · Steve Fitch · Miguel Gandert · Karen Halverson · Lauren Henkin · Jon Lewis · Owen Luck · Lee Marmon · Laura McPhee · David Grant Noble · David Ottenstein · David Plowden · Roberta Price · Kim Stringfellow · Toba Pato Tucker · John Willis · Will Wilson
Exhibition on view from September 1 – December 16, 2018. Beinecke Library exhibitions are free and open to the public daily. Visit our Hours and Holiday Schedule page for detailed information. Please note: the library will be closed to the public September 3 (Labor Day), September 8, and September 16.
Opening celebration on Friday, September 21, with a keynote address at 4:30 pm by Eric Paddock, Curator of Photographs, Denver Art Museum, on “Challenges and Opportunities in Photography of the Contemporary West.” On Saturday, September 22, the public is invited to panel discussions with the photographers, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.