Between Grass & Sky

Nevada Museum of Art

Reno, Nevada, USA

Between Grass & Sky is a joint exhibition presented at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and at the Western Folklore Center in Elko on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held annually in northern Nevada.

  • COWBOY CULTURE, CONTEMPORARY

    Between Grass and Sky is a joint exhibition presented at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and at the Western Folklife Center in Elko on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held annually in northern Nevada.

  • YIN & YANG

    Both exhibitions take Buck Ramsey’s acclaimed poem GRASS as a narrative starting point, which eloquently engages with a range of themes and ideas that resonate with anyone that has spent time among the open spaces of the American West. Both shows visually complement each other in a yin and yang way. While the Reno show features a selection contemporary artworks in a white box setting, Elko celebrates the tools of the trade of the cowboy profession in a black box environment.

  • RHYTHMS OF A COWBOY POEM

    The Reno exhibition includes contemporary works by artists including Ed Ruscha and Scott Hudson, as well as an audiovisual component featuring the spoken voices of four renowned cowboy poets reciting GRASS.

  • ART STAGED BY DESIGN

    The museum presentation creates an immersive atmosphere, using a minimalist palette of narrative design elements complementing the artworks on display. The background is formed by fragments of the poem GRASS — realized in a surprisingly economic yet artistic way: typographic interventions hand-drawn in pencil.

  • TRAPPINGS OF A RANCH LIFE

    In celebration of 25 years of cowboy artistry, Elko brings together the work of some of the finest contemporary gearmakers, poets and artists to illustrate the connection between artistry and our sense of place in the world.

  • CELEBRATING EXCEPTIONAL CRAFT

    Front and center is the array of western saddles, bits and gear, displayed and lit in a dramatic way that is normally reserved to haute couture. All display elements are made from objects associated with the open Nevada landscape, their surfaces contrasting with the rich materials of the cowboy gear. The background is formed by a poetic interpretation of the western Skies, poem fragments and ornamental construction drawings realized exclusively in white chalk. This show is designed to challenge the visual cliches associated with cowboy culture offering a fresh experience even to the most passionate fans.

  • CREDITS:

    Curators: Ann Wolfe, Nevada Museum of Art / Meg Glaser and Jeremiah Watt, Western Folklife Center
    Exhibition design by Nik Hafermaas, UEBERSEE
    Graphic identity by Carolina Trigo, UEBERSEE
    Walls by Betsy P. Tsai and Michael Relth, Art Center College of Design
    Display production Reno by Chris Martin / Display production Elko by Allen Murray
    Video Between Grass and Sky: production by Jerry Dugan, FLF Films
    Nevada Museum of Art January 17–May 17, 2009
    Western Folklife Center January 20 –August 29, 2009