Magnetic West

Book excerpt: Unpicking the ever-changing myth of the West in photography, from the 19th century to now Published for an exhibition at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, Magnetic Westfeatures over 160 photographs by some of the most renowned photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Picturing the West as a metaphor for promise and peril, Magnetic Westexplores issues of identity, implications of living in a changing landscape and the centrality of Native and immigrant communities to the essential dynamism of the region. Including images made by artists from the US and abroad, Magnetic Westexpands the dialogue of how our view of the West has evolved from the 19th century to today. Assembled from many public and private collections, it includes important works by Robert Adams, Edward Burtynsky, Laura Gilpin, Zig Jackson, Elaine Mayes, Chandra McCormick, Cara Romero, Wendy Red Star, Victoria Sambunaris, Carleton Watkins, Wim Wenders and many others.