Recognized as one of the great art museums in America and a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, continues on the leading edge of innovation.
The upcoming and current exhibits take art lovers behind the scenes and into the minds of the artists — from a Zimbabwean photographer and a Bulgarian-born portrait artist who fulfilled their dreams of visiting the American West, to an artist who journeyed into the Yellowstone backcountry to share what’s rarely seen by tourists.
“Graham Hobart: Out of Africa and Into the West”
July 31, 2021-January 23, 2022
An early pioneer and champion for digital infrared photography, Graham Hobart grew up in what is now known as Zimbabwe, experiencing the continent’s vast landscapes, diverse peoples and exotic animals. As a child, he was also fascinated by prints and pen and ink drawings of animals and landscapes. He later bicycled across the African savanna and traveled into the equatorial forests to explore some of the last places where animals could roam free.
Graham created a series of photographs in Africa utilizing infrared technology to highlight patterns and textures. His artistic techniques communicate what he sees into something seemingly in-between a photograph and a drawing.
In 2014 Booth Executive Director Seth Hopkins commissioned a photograph from Hobart and dared him to “go out and capture the American West in his unique illustrative style as he had in Africa.” This exhibition is Hobart’s response, featuring more than a decade of his work from journeys across two continents.
“Tucker Smith: A Celebration of Nature”
September 11, 2021-January 2, 2022
Tucker Smith is nationally renowned for his balanced, subtle paintings inspired by the wildlife and mountains that have been an integral part of his life. His home and studio on the Hoback Rim in Western Wyoming offer access to his favorite subjects; vast landscapes, sprawling cattle ranches and the backcountry with its abundant wildlife and natural, unspoiled beauty.
Featuring more than 40 original oils, this exhibition is a true survey of Smith’s life work, with pieces ranging from his early years as a professional artist to his most recent paintings on a wide range of subject matter, including Western wildlife, locomotives, camp and cowboy scenes and stunning landscapes.
Well-known for his painstaking approach to art, he conducts research, paints on location, and labors at his easel until he feels the work is exactly right. “I suppose I’m a perfectionist,” he says.
He has won many awards including the prestigious Prix de West Purchase Award in 1990 for his painting, Return of Summer which is also featured in the exhibition. This traveling exhibition was organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and guest-curated by B. Byron Price, Director of the Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of Art of the American West, University of Oklahoma. One of the Wildlife Museum’s signature images, The Refuge, measuring 3.5 feet by 10 feet, is a highlight of the exhibition.
“Waterfalls in Yellowstone: M.C. Poulsen” and “Mammals in Glacier: Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey”
October 21, 2021-February 27, 2022
Artist M.C. Poulsen embarked on a multiyear journey to hike and ride horseback into the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park and capture the waterfalls that the general public never experiences. Until now, his extraordinary story and works were only widely seen in “Painting the Falls of Yellowstone,” a 2017 PBS documentary. For the first time ever, this exhibition will bring together a major grouping of the sketches, color studies and large finished paintings related to the multi-year project.
Artistically, Poulsen is following in the footsteps of famous pioneer artists Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt whose artwork helped convince Congress to make Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks. Working with retired park rangers to help find these unseen waterfalls, Poulsen is able to bring the backcountry to the public. Through art he also shares the emotions he experienced being one of only a very few to view many of these sites.
Equally impressive and complementing the Yellowstone Waterfalls exhibition is Nancy Cawdrey’s “Mammals in Glacier.” This unique body of work is the heart of a major traveling exhibition used to inspire people of all ages to find a special connection with Glacier National Park. The travelling exhibit includes 25 paintings plus a robust educational component developed to encourage viewers to interact in various ways with the exhibit and give those who may never have a chance to visit in person as much of the Glacier experience as possible.
Current Exhibits
Two of the Booth’s missions are highlighting diversity and presenting exhibitions that take viewers beyond the stereotypes of Western art.
”Captivated–Rossin’s SouthWest & Beyond”
Through September 26, 2021
One of the world’s leading portrait artists, Ross Rossin’s impressive resume includes four major paintings in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. He has also created depictions of seven legendary activists displayed at Atlanta’s Center for Human and Civil Rights, poet Maya Angelou for a U.S. Postage stamp and all the U.S. Presidents in his “Commanders in Chief Mural Project” at the Booth.
Growing up watching Western movies in his native Bulgaria, Rossin dreamed of coming to America and visiting Monument Valley. A “dream road trip” through the Southwest in 2019 with Booth Executive Director Seth Hopkins inspired a series of hyper-realistic portrayals of people and lands they encountered. Mesmerizing images identify the essence of an individual and the natural aura that surrounds them and the land itself. The show confirms the American West still has the power to inspire both Americans and those from around the globe.
For additional exhibit information, please visit Boothmuseum.org/exhibitions
Plan your visit
Cartersville, Georgia, just 30 minutes north of Atlanta on I-75, is by far the smallest city in America with two Smithsonian Affiliate Museums; the Booth Western Art Museum and the Tellus Science Museum.
Cartersville offers cosmopolitan amenities with the parking, accessibility and charm of a small town. The beautifully restored historic downtown is a destination experience.
Within easy walking distance of the Booth are antique shops, galleries and boutiques along with the Museum Café, area dining options include innovative cuisine, funky diners and everything in between.
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