Between Grass and Sky

Nevada Museum of Art
160 West Liberty Street
Reno

BETWEEN GRASS AND SKY: Rhythms of a Cowboy Poem

Between Grass and Sky is a collaborative exhibition presented at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and the Western Folklife Center in Elko on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held annually in northern Nevada. Working together, the two institutions created complementary exhibitions that are inspired by the widely-celebrated poem Grass, written by legendary Texas poet Buck Ramsey. The exhibitions will include a broad range of objects—from paintings and sculptures to intricately crafted gear—that illustrate a shared appreciation for the experience of life in the American West. The exhibition featured in Reno will include contemporary works by artists including Theodore Waddell and Scott Hudson, as well as an audiovisual component featuring the spoken voices of four renowned cowboy poets reciting Grass. The partner exhibition Between Grass and Sky: Trappings of a Ranch Life, presented in Elko, will include finely crafted leather saddles and silver engraved bits outfitted with rawhide reins and romels.

Through May 17. Presented as part of the Art + Environment series, an initiative of the Nevada Museum of Art that brings together community, artists and scholars to explore the interaction between people and their environments.

[text and graphic from NMA website. Caption: "Kota Ezawa, Cowboy, 2006, lightbox. Collection of Gregory and Anne Avis. Image courtesy of Haines Gallery / San Francisco."]