Lectures & Adult Programs | Booth Western Art Museum

Choose from a variety of in-person and virtual lectures and programs or visit the Booth Museum YouTube channel for more videos.

Want to deepen your understanding of Western art? We are working with Georgia Highlands College Continuing and Professional Education Department to offer a special course on the History of the Art of the American West. CLICK HERE to learn more!

Upcoming Lectures and Adult Programs

History of Art of the American West with Georgia Highlands College

Thursday, June 20 – Thursday, August, 22

Embark on a captivating exploration of the rich and diverse artistic heritage of the American West in this engaging class. Led by Seth M. Hopkins, Executive Director of the Booth Western Art Museum, participants will dive into the evolution of Western art over eight non-consecutive Thursday nights, beginning June 20th. Co-sponsored by the Booth Western Art Museum and Georgia Highlands College Continuing and Professional Education Department, this educational journey promises to inspire and enlighten art enthusiasts of all levels.

Course Outline

Session 1 – Earliest images of the West: works by the earliest arts in the West will be viewed within the context of American art of the time; includes artists George Catlin, Karl Bodmer, Alfred Jacob Miller and John Mix Stanley, plus the Hudson River School first generation

Session 2 – Landscapes of the West: panoramic views of the West will be discussed within the context of American art of the time, including a post Civil War shift in Western art, away from Native American subjects to the land itself, includes artists Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran and others, Hudson River School second generation

Session 3 – Remington, Russell and Friends: as early as the 1890s artists are looking back to a West that was, nostalgia becomes an important subject, looking at art by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell and their peers like W.R. Leigh, N.C. Wyeth and many others

Session 4 – Taos and Santa Fe Art Colonies: The Taos Society of Artists formed in the 1910s to promote the work of the members to museums and collectors, and bolster the markets for their work, twenty years later they had achieved most of their goals and no longer seemed necessary

Session 5 – The Cowboy Artists of America and Peers: The founding of the CAA in 1965 helps lead to an increased interest in traditional style art in the contemporary period, includes the four artists who founded the group, plus standouts like John Clymer, Frank McCarthy, Howard Terpning and Martin Grelle

Session 6 – The Miracles from IAIA: The early faculty and graduates from this school, founded in Santa Fe in 1962, help lead to an increased interest in Indigenous art in the contemporary period which stretches beyond the Native artists to others portraying the West in modern ways like Thom Ross, Kim Wiggins, Donna Howell-Sickles and Billy Schenck

Session 7 – Sculpture: Throughout the course most of the emphasis has been on paintings, during this session we full turn our attention to three dimensional art, and artists like James Earle Fraser, Phiminster Proctor, Frederic Remington, Harry Jackson, Allan Houser and John Coleman.

Session 8 – Photography: Throughout the course most of the emphasis has been on paintings, during this session we full turn our attention to photography, and investigate how the desire to shoot in the West drove much of the technical improvements made in the field, artists include Edward Curtis, Ansel Adams, Dorthea Lange, Imogene Cunningham, the Weston’s, Jay Dusard and Barbara van Cleev

Art for Lunch: All About Spurs!

Wednesday, August 7, 12:15 pm – Booth Ballroom & Facebook Live

Larry Hobbs and Bruce Bartlett will be discussing what decides the value of antique American Cowboy spurs and pieces in their collection.

Lunch will be available for $15.00 plus tax. Deadline to register for lunch is, Noon, August 6. Go boothmuseum.org to make your reservation for lunch or watch LIVE on Booth Museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Program included with admission. No outside food or beverages.

Art for Lunch: Anne Weber on Custars Last Rally

Art for Lunch: Anne Weber on Custars Last Rally

Wednesday, September 4, 12:15 pm – Booth Ballroom & Facebook Live

Anne Weber, will be discussing her great-grandfather John Mulvanny’s fascinating life and career along with the significant history of Custer’s Last Rally. This piece now stands on display at the Booth, and is the oldest surviving work of the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Lunch will be available for $15.00 plus tax. Deadline to register for lunch is, Noon, September 3. Go boothmuseum.org to make your reservation for lunch or watch LIVE on Booth Museum’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Program included with admission. No outside food or beverages.