CANYON, TX.- For the first time ever, Capturing Western Legends brings together the art and stories of the Canadian western frontier in a remarkable major exhibition featuring the works of Charles M. Russell (1864 - 1926) and Frederic S. Remington (1861 - 1909). Both Russell and Remington created legendary images that continue to define the ‘Old West’ today. These two artists captured a moment in time and period of transition with the western frontier, and achieved unparalleled success in the genre of western art. Their names are virtually synonymous in the popular imagination with iconic images of the North American West.

The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum will be the only venue west of the Mississippi to host this outstanding exhibit, organized and circulated by the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Glenbow Museum is Western Canada’s largest museum.

Museum visitors will explore the era of the North West frontier where the Blackfoot people roamed the landscape, the fur trade was a dominant industry; and when the ranching industry straddled the borders between Alberta and Montana.

“The PPHM is nationally recognized for its commitment to presenting high-quality exhibits and programs. Capturing Western Legends: Russell and Remington’s Canadian Frontier will continue this tradition of excellence and bring thousands of visitors to the museum, benefiting the local economy and further strengthening the tremendous reputation of the PPHM,” said Guy C. Vanderpool, Director.

“The iconic images of the ‘Old West’ have had an enormous influence through movies, television, novels, even comic books, upon all of American culture, but particularly upon our culture in the Southwest. This exhibition will provide all of us an opportunity to visit the fountainhead of those images and not only enjoy them as art, but as the inspiration for many of our cultural assumptions,” Dr. Russell C. Long, President West Texas A&M University, said about the exhibit.

Additionally, the museum has chosen “The American West” as the exhibit theme for 2005, with an exciting summer schedule of programs and exhibits. Textile, firearms, art, and history exhibits will explore the many facets of the American West. Educational programming will also focus on the history and the influence of the West.
Sponsors for this exhibition include Texas Monthly, Amarillo Advertising Federation, Wells Fargo, West Texas A&M University, Joe and Arlene Pool, Nancy and Bob Josserand, Pamela Pool Stevens, Xcel Energy, High Country Chevy Dealers, Wells Fargo, Happy State Bank, United Supermarkets, Amarillo National Bank, Texas Cattle Feeders, Bell Helicopter, Friends of Southwestern Art, and Wal-Mart.