Recently opened at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western is a revealing perspective on these films.
The exhibit, curated by Andrew Patrick Nelson, PhD, a top expert on Western cinema, brings together more than vintage posters.
Set the stage, and imagine the screen-worn costumes being worn by Hollywood icons that include John Wayne, Robert Redford, Jeff Bridges, and others. To help you dive deeper, you find film clips paired with the original vintage movie posters from the Rennard Strickland Collection.
“By walking through this exhibition, visitors don’t just learn about these films—they experience how Americans encountered them,” said Nelson. “Whether at a drive-in under the stars or in a grand movie palace, these were shared cultural moments. We want people to feel that, and to come away with a new appreciation for just how vibrant and vital this period was.”
This Scottsdale presentation also has a new section devoted to Clint Eastwood’s evolution from icon of change to the genre’s most thoughtful historian. The exhibition will be accompanied by a year of film screenings reflecting its sections and themes, talks by Dr. Nelson and visiting scholars and filmmakers, and programs in the Museum’s newly renovated Virginia G. Piper Theater.
These are among the stories shared by the Western Spirit Museum, that cultivates the spirit of the West.
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
See the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West site for upcoming exhibitions, events, and news.
Experience Scottsdale
From arts to sports and recreation, the Experience Scottsdale website has activities for every interest.
Photo credits - Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.
