21st Century Regionalists

21st Century Regionalists: Art of the Next West

Regionalism - a popular mid-20th century art movement underscoring how a specific geographic area influences identity - has been declared dead. Likewise Western art, though thriving in popularity, often has been thought to be a static genre; that is, new art had to mimic the old in order to be accepted. But in the new millennium, the definition of Western art has been examined, contested and expanded beyond its once-static geographical and philosophical boundaries. Indeed "the West" has become more mythology, than location or history. Artists of both traditional and contemporary sympathies are exploring the new facets of Western art. In doing so, they have created the next West.

21st Century Regionalists: Art of the Next West blurs boundaries, questions traditional styles, and contributes to the evolving identity of the West. The exhibition raises questions such as: "What is Western art?", "Who is a Western artist?", and "What meaning do the terms regionalism and contemporary hold for us today?" This exhibition will feature the art of a dozen Western artists who work in a distinctively regional style. While these artists have much in common with the Regionalist movement of the 1930s, they are also quite contemporary, employing fresh techniques.

"The subjects depicted in the artwork in this exhibition are accessible, familiar and relevant to viewers' lives. This body of work is defined as much by what it isn't as by what it is," remarks James Burns, guest curator of the exhibition.

Artists included in 21st Century Regionalists: Art of the Next West are Trish Booth, David DeVary, Carrie Fell, Alvin Gill-Tapia, Woody Gwyn, Mark Knudsen, Ed Mell, Howard Post, Doug Smith, Gary Ernest Smith, Michael Swearngin, and Jim Vogel. All possess extraordinary style, talent and engaging personalities with which viewers connect.