Visual Wests, a NEH Institute for Higher Education Faculty and advanced graduate students, will be held at the University of Oklahoma from July 7 to August 1, 2025. This residential institute explores the visual imagery and material culture – paintings, sculptures, maps, films, clothing – that shaped ideas about the American West since the nineteenth century. We will analyze artistic, cartographic and archival silences that supported settlers’ political and cultural hegemony, and contemplate overlooked visual practices by Indigenous, African American, and Mexican American actors.

 

Additional information on the institute and the application process can be found at https://visualwest1.com/. The application deadline is March 5, 2025.

 

A primary feature of the Institute will be workshop sessions in which participants immerse themselves in the rich archival, library, and museum resources at the University of Oklahoma. The Institute also includes day trips to Tulsa’s Greenwood District, mural arts in rural communities, the former Concho Indian Boarding School, historic Black towns, and the First Americans Museum.

 

Please contact VisualWests@ou.edu with any questions.