On February 16, noted writer and western American art scholar Peter Hassrick shares the story of the Whitney family, and their pivotal role in the formation of what ultimately became the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, now one of the premier museums of the American West, right here in Cody, Wyoming.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney poses with Buffalo Bill—The Scout, her 1924 sculpture of William F. Cody. MS6 William F. Cody Collection. P.69.517
The program, titled Art in Cody: The Whitney Legacy, is the focus of the next Cody Culture Club event, which takes place on Thursday, February 16, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Center of the West. In addition to the talk by Hassrick, the evening also includes appetizers and a cash bar.
Hassrick served twenty years as the director of Buffalo Bill Center of the West—known then as then Buffalo Bill Historical Center. He is now the Center’s Director Emeritus and a Senior Scholar; Director Emeritus of Denver Art Museum’s Petrie Institute of Western American Art; Founding Director Emeritus of the Charles Russell Center at the University of Oklahoma; and Founding Director of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. He was also Curator of Collections, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, for five years.
Hassrick holds a bachelor of arts in History from the University of Colorado and a Master of Arts in art history from the University of Denver. He has authored and co-authored numerous major books on western American art and artists, including Frederic Remington: A Catalogue Raisonné, Drawn to Yellowstone: Artists in America’s First National Park, and Painted Journeys: The Art of John Mix Stanley, among many others.
This is the second of four Cody Culture Club programs in 2017, which occur on the third Thursday of the month through April. Individual programs are $20 per person; however a package discount is available when purchasing tickets for all four programs. Visit centerofthewest.org/codycultureclub to purchase tickets online. Contact Rachel Lee at [email protected] or 307-578-4009 for more information.
Founded by members of the community, the Cody Culture Club, along with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, celebrates the unique culture of Cody by offering insightful programs inspired by the Center’s world-class collections. The 2017 season is generously sponsored by Carlene Lebous & Harris Haston, BHHS Brokerage West Inc., and Way West Management Co.–Ryan & Erynne Selk.
Since 1917, the award-winning Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has devoted itself to sharing the story of the authentic American West. The Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. For additional information, visit centerofthewest.org or the Center’s Facebook page.
