Because the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities has such a great track record for tying all the loose ends together thematically, a trio of West-inspired photography shows open in the galleries today — just in time for the regional influx of National Western Stock Show visitors and next week’s returning Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, a January mainstay at the center for twenty rip-snortin’ years.
And in keeping, the trio of exhibitions also cover a lot of regional and historical ground, leaving few stones unturned: William J. Collins Photography: The Vanishing West and Edward S. Curtis: Photographs of Native Americans both feature remarkable black-and-white views documenting vanishing landscapes and ways of life, while Shooting the West: Colorado Photographers, guest curated by Rose Fredrick (who also presides over the stock show’s esteemed annual Coors Western art exhibit) offers a more contemporary view of the West’s people and places, as snapped by 18 area photographers.
A public reception takes place tomorrow evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at the center, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada, and the shows continue through February 22. For information visit the Arvada Center website or call 720-898-7200. — Susan Froyd
For more ways to rock the night and kill the day, go to westword.com/calendar.
