The Arts Center latest exhibits explore the culture of Old West America and all its various conventions. The Wild Bunch: Cowboys in Contemporary Art is pretty self-explanatory — the focus is cowboys and their presence in contemporary art. Bernard Williams, Jenny Rogers, David Rathman, Gordon McConnell and several others offer fresh interpretations of the typical iconography associated with cowboys by way of paintings, sculpture, installations and video. Cracker Country: Florida's Cowboy Culture consists of works by three local photographers. Beth Reynolds' subject is 13-year-old Laci Whaley, an eighth-generation cattle rancher and champion barrel racer. Carlton Ward, Jr.'s "Vanishing Heritage" series merges landscape photography with a visual investigation of Florida's enduring ranchlands. And Rachel Turner offers a record of the daily activities of cowboys at a huge Lake Okeechobee ranch. On display through May 27, The Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, free admission, 727-822-7872, theartscenter.org.
This article appears in Mar 21-27, 2007.
