On a recent visit to a museum in the Southwest, I toured their collections, which included a long-term loan of Western saddles, bridles, and spurs. The museum staff member guiding the tour mentioned that the saddles had recently been frozen as part of the museum’s...
According to the American Alliance of Museums, attendance five years post-pandemic is improving for many museums; however, most institutions are still struggling to bring back visitors and retain members, which is wreaking havoc on budgets. One theory is that people fell out of the habit...
Most art comes with a price tag. But that’s not always the best indicator of whether its value will endure over time. In this issue, we’re looking at the intangible qualities that affect the value of art. We spoke with hyperrealist painter Daniel Sprick, art...
Recently, I received an email with the subject line: “Saving my mom’s WPA mural….” In it, Jenne Currie, the daughter of Ethyl Magafan and niece of Ethyl’s twin sister, Jenne, wrote that the government is fast-tracking the sale of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building...
Artists often do some odd things that can appear counterintuitive or even self-destructive — like inviting you over to see their latest work, then refusing to sell it to you. This isn’t a ploy to get you to pay more (though it might be). More...
In 1985, the Harwood Foundation in Taos, New Mexico, now known as the Harwood Museum of Art, served a dual purpose as both the town’s museum and library. Throughout the adobe building’s two floors, paintings by Taos Society artists hung beneath the vigas on lime-washed...
In its most benign form, artificial intelligence (AI) is just another tool artists can use for advanced research. It’s not truly thinking up novel works of art; instead, AI quickly scours the internet’s data and images to generate answers to queries. It learns from data,...
When buying art — whether to fill a bare wall or add to a comprehensive collection of objects — some people hesitate before handing over their credit card, wondering, “Is this worth what I’m paying?” The price and value of art do not necessarily follow standard...
As residents of Los Angeles begin the complicated process of rebuilding after fires wiped out more than 16,000 homes and businesses, the last thing anyone facing that future wants to hear is that they weren’t adequately insured. However, a recent study by the University of...
For those who love art and artifacts of the West, handwoven textiles are a fabulous way to infuse Native American history and anthropology into your collection. Textiles created by the Diné, or Navajo, in particular, carry hints of family lineage through symbolism, the wool itself,...