Blog

Our upcoming exhibit, Another Frontier: Frederic Remington’s East, explores a different side - an Eastern side - of this iconic Western artist. Although Remington traveled throughout the American West on assignment for many of the popular magazines for which he worked, most of his compositions were completed in his New York-based studio. One of his favorite places to paint was in his beloved North Country in the northern-most tip of New York state, where Remington spent most of his summers. The North Country could be defined as the forested region stretching from the Adirondack Mountains across the St. Lawrence River [...]

Charles M. Russell, When Blackfeet and Sioux Meet, 1908, Oil on canvas, 20 1/2 x 29 7/8 inches In our ongoing efforts to learn more about the various American Indian cultures represented in our collection - like the Blackfeet depicted in many of Charlie Russell’s paintings - The Sid recently hosted a training for our docent volunteers led by Dr. Michael Wise, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Texas, where he specializes in the history of the American West. Dr. Wise has studied many aspects of the food histories and cultural environments of the [...]

If you took an art class in school or just for fun, you’ve probably had the opportunity to make some kind of sculpture, whether with clay, plaster, play-doh, or other materials. But how many of us have experienced casting a sculpture out of bronze? Bronze is the most popular metal for casting sculptures, and was a material with which both Charlie Russell and Frederic Remington cast their many bronze pieces, including those currently on display in our galleries. How does one cast a bronze sculpture? Photo credit: OKFoundryCompany When casting metal, there are a lot of challenges you [...]

In 1907, Charlie Russell paid tribute to Montana resident, Millie Ringgold, in his painting “Utica.” A musical person, Millie often played songs while drumming her empty five-gallon coal oil can, which can be scene prominently in Russell’s painting. In honor of Black History Month, join us as we follow the story of a freed slave, her favorite song, and the first great cautionary tale of the oil age. The following article was researched and written by SRM docent, S. Mark Clardy. Millie Ringgold Millie Ringgold was born a slave in Maryland in about 1845.  After the Emancipation Proclamation, [...]