Behind the Scenes

For the first time in our gallery, the Sid Richardson Museum has on display Western Scene by Charlie Russell, included in the current exhibition Western Treasures. Scholars consider this painting to be the artist’s first formal commission. Still in transition from cowboy to artist, Russell lacked the usual canvas and oils and instead opted for a pine board and house paints as his materials. Charles M. Russell, Western Scene (The Shelton Saloon Painting), c. 1885, Oil on wood panel, 17 1/2 inches x 69 inches Patroned by James R. Shelton, the proprietor of the Shelton Saloon, Western Scene [...]

The wait is over! Western Treasures is officially open.  The exhibition includes 39 paintings from the Sid Richardson Museum and 6 bronze sculptures on loan from private collections. Western Treasures exhibition labels Installation of the exhibition was no easy task, as many helping hands worked together to bring this exhibition to life. Every detail required careful consideration: printing the labels, moving and arranging the artwork, hanging the paintings, preparing the pedestals and vitrines, placing the bronze sculptures, lighting the works, painting the gallery, and much more.  We’d like to thank Displays Fine Art Services, for their assistance, and Larry [...]

Welcome to the Sid Richardson Museum’s new blog! Join us every week as we share fun facts and photos from the archives, excerpts from our programs for children, families and adults, highlights from the collection, behind the scenes details, and much more. You may have noticed the museum has been closed for construction.  We had a chance to talk with the crew’s foreman, Michael Herder, with the Beck Group, to learn more about what this task entails. Foreman's Office Tell us about this project. MH: We performed demolition, installed a niche for the new security kiosk, installed a [...]