The Reel American West

The Reel American West

This exhibition explores the history of the Western genre and Theodore Case’s role in the production of the first feature-length sound-on-film Western, In Old Arizona (1928). Visitors will discover how Western films shaped — and reshaped — representations of women, Black cowboys, and Indigenous Peoples over time. Drawing from firsthand accounts and key resources, including Black Wests: Reshaping Race and Place in Popular Culture by Sara Gallagher, the exhibition offers new perspectives on life in the American West. It also examines international Western subgenres and connects the genre’s enduring themes — independence, identity, and resistance to modern society — to conversations surrounding the America 250th commemoration