In the heart of Trinidad, Colorado, a small town with a rich artistic heritage, the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art is making waves with its latest exhibition, “Character in Context.”
The groundbreaking showcase brings together 53 artists from around the world in celebration of the enduring legacy of illustration in contemporary art.
The museum, which opened its doors in 1981, was established to honor the work of Arthur Roy Mitchell, a celebrated Western-themed painter whose covers for pulp novels and magazines captivated audiences from the 1920s to the 1940s. Eight years after its inception, the museum bought its home in the historic Jamieson Dry Goods Store, a sprawling 44,000-square-foot space in Trinidad’s history downtown.
Cody Kuehl, the museum's board president, envisioned a fresh direction for the summer season: a major show exploring the enduring power of illustrative art.
To bring this vision to life, Kuehl invited his friend and colleague, Elliot Lang, to serve as guest curator. Lang, a Denver-based illustrator, has assembled what Kuehl describes as a "phenomenal group of illustrators."
“We are kind of the dog that caught the car, I think, is maybe what the right phrase is. It's a world-class show. It's literal celebrity illustrators,” said Kuehl.
The exhibition, aptly named "Character in Context," doesn’t just include finished works, but also aims to give a rare glimpse into how the artists created them.
"The idea was to make it a process show,” Lang explains. ”The throughline is that these folks are trained illustrators in addition to being fine artists... we thought, well, it would be really interesting to have the drawing of a character next to the final painting of said character. And so it puts that character in context of where it came from, where the character came from."
Visitors will see sketches and preliminary work-ups and color studies alongside the polished final versions, providing insight into the artists' methods and thought processes.
The exhibition fills the museum's second-floor rotunda and includes renowned names such as Julie Bell and Greg Manchess, alongside a diverse array of talents from across the globe. The works range from evocative and emotional to fantastical.
The exhibition is both a celebration of the illustration process and a testament to its enduring relevance.
"Illustration is all around us and we consume it every day, whether we realize it or not,” said Lang. “A lot of stories come from illustrations, and it's the most easily consumable form of artwork. It's on every social media platform, and it's important and it's vital."
Lang believes "Character in Context" is both the most comprehensive presentation of the creative process from living and working illustrators ever collected in one space and the largest single collection of original illustrations for sale from living illustrators in the Western United States.
Lang and Kuehl hope this show serves as a direct contrast and rebuttal to the profusion of AI-created artwork, showcasing the skill, creativity, and human touch that go into each illustration.
The exhibition's connection to Arthur Roy Mitchell's legacy is particularly poignant. By showcasing contemporary illustrators alongside Mitchell's iconic work, the exhibition draws a through-line from the past to the present, highlighting the evolving nature of the craft.
Kuehl and Lang hope that this exhibition will transform not only the museum but also people's perceptions of illustrators. By presenting illustration as a vital and dynamic art form, they aim to elevate its status in the contemporary art sphere. Moreover, they also hope the show's scope and quality will attract visitors to Trinidad, shining a spotlight on the town's contributions to the art world.
In bringing together 53 diverse artists from around the world, the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art has created more than just an exhibition; it has crafted a celebration of imagination, skill, and the enduring power of visual storytelling. As Lang puts it, illustration is vital – and visitors may find that this show proves just how true that statement is.
Character in Context is on view through Jul 27
