The Rev. John Roberts and Andrew Basil, grandson of Sacajawea, stand at the grave
of Sacajawea, the Eastern Shoshone guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition, at Fort
Washakie. A new exhibition at UW’s American Heritage Center features 13 colorful paintings
by Irish artist Brian Whelan that celebrate the life of Roberts and his historic 66-year
ministry. (ArtSpirit Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center (AHC) will celebrate the opening
of three recently installed exhibitions Thursday, Dec. 7.
These are: “Portraits of the West: Photographs of James Bama” in the loggia; “White
Robe: The Story of the Sacred Journey of the Rev. John Roberts among Native Americans”
in Gallery One; and “Unmasking the Unknown: Delving into Literary Mysteries,” a book
exhibition in the Toppan Library.
The reception will take place from 4-5:30 p.m. It will begin with three brief talks
about each exhibition in the Stockgrowers Room, followed by a small reception and
an opportunity to view the exhibitions.
“Portraits of the West” features the photographs of Western artist James Bama. He
was widely known as an American realist painter whose work featured Western themes.
Bama took thousands of photographs during his career to use as the basis for his work.
The exhibition features some of these fine-art photographs that are every bit as exciting
as his paintings.
“White Robe” features 13 colorful paintings by Irish artist Brian Whelan that celebrate
the life of Roberts and his historic 66-year ministry on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
ArtSpirit, the arts initiative of the Episcopal Church in Wyoming, commissioned the
touring exhibition; it will travel to Europe after its stay at UW.
“Unmasking the Unknown: Delving into Literary Mysteries” is a book exhibition selected
from the AHC’s Toppan Library. This exhibition will follow the evolution of the mystery
genre from its early beginnings to its more recent adaptations that continue to engage
with audiences of today. These works span multiple artists from Arthur Conan Doyle
to Agatha Christie to more recent novelists such as Wyoming author C.J. Box. Along
the way, it visits subgenres ranging from Gothic tales to cops-and-robbers to true-crime
dramas.
