‘MYTH & REALITY’ OF GREAT PLAINS ART AT FENIMORE IN COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.

AVV 1-29 #686301

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — “Myth & Reality: The Art of the Great Plains,” will be on view April 1–December 31 in the Fenimore Art Museum’s Great Hall.

Frederic Remington, as well as other artists, travelers, explorers and Hollywood filmmakers, have all had a hand in creating a mythological American West. Traveling Wild West shows such as those conceived by Buffalo Bill Cody formed the basis for the notion of the “Plains Indian” that has survived to the present day. This exhibition unravels some of the myths surrounding the people of the Great Plains.

 The Great Plains invoke images of warriors on horseback wearing feather headdresses, tipis and buffalo hunts. Most Plains Indians lived a semi-nomadic farming life on the wooded fringes of the Missouri River, but the introduction of horses by the Spanish during the Seventeenth Century revolutionized their lives. The horse transformed villagers into equestrian hunters, and a new nomadic lifestyle began.

The Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries marked a period of unprecedented change in the lives of the people on the Plains. Horses were regarded as powerful spiritual beings and appeared in many Plains Indian arts, including carving, painting and drawing. Women incorporated extensive and elaborate beadwork and quillwork into clothing and accessories.

The Fenimore Art Museum is at 5798 State Highway 80, Lake Road. For information, www.fenimoreartmuseum.org or 1-888-547-1450.