Women Artists of the American West: Colorado and Utah, 1885–1935

Helen Henderson Chain ( 1849-1892), Old Miner's Cabin, private collection.

In this exhibition, Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions and History Jackson Hole (AWARE) present the second part of Women Artists of the American West.  After a first installation dedicated to Trailblazers at the Turn of the 20th Century in Montana and Wyoming (January 29 to July 12, 2025), Women Artists of the American West: Colorado and Utah, 1885–1935 presents highlights the work of women artists from Colorado and Utah. Their paintings and photographs add depth and complexity to the stories we tell about the Rocky Mountains, the Western landscape, and women’s place therein. Their works and careers reveal that the American West was never the simple, masculine rugged frontier that lives large in the American conception, but something layered, nuanced, and multi-gendered.

Featured artists include Helen Henderson Chain, Elisabeth Spalding, Anne Gregory Van Briggle, Laura Gilpin, Louise Richards Farnsworth, Mabel Pearly Frazer, and Florence Ellen Ware; with original artwork on loan from regional institutions including the Denver Art Museum, History Colorado, Utah Museum of Fine Art, BYU Art Museum, and Springville Museum.