The Lure and Lore of the West explores the blurred lines between Western myth and history, from the dinosaur bones that inspired monster legends to the red rock formations that were supposed to be hiding places for treasure. Incorporating artworks from the late nineteenth century to the present, it highlights images of popular Western characters like prospectors, pioneers, and cowboys and includes a life-sized Bigfoot skeleton “unearthed” by the artist Clayton Bailey. The exhibition also reflects on the region’s most vital resource: its rugged landscapes. Photographs by Ansel Adams, Harry Reuben Reynolds, and Ralph Clark showcase vistas from our western State and National Parks, which increasingly face pressure from mass tourism and development. As wilderness disappears, the show asks: What stories will remain? What new legends will emerge? Which wild spaces will endure for future generations?

The exhibition touches on themes like travel, exploration, and western expansion; myths and monsters of the West; heroes and legends, especially those surrounding American cowboys, outlaws; natural resources, agriculture, and homesteading; and the majestic Western sublime.

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