In the early 21st century the West continues to play seemingly contradictory roles in the national psyche. Areas of the region are viewed as wilderness - set aside for its own intrinsic benefit or for those individuals hardy enough to venture into them. In contrast, there are also vast, empty tracts of land with raw material waiting to be exploited. Then there are sprawling, unsustainable urban areas that continue to grow without control. The vast, empty tracts are skirted, or quickly passed through, by the large numbers of tourists who visit each year hoping to find the West they know through popular media. What do the visitors find? What do they miss? How is the West impacted by the broad range of uses to which the region is subjected?

“Landscape at Risk: Contemporary Views of the West” is an exhibit that examines the ecological, social and aesthetic effects of tourism, industrial activity, and urban development in the West and the natural communities that are impacted.

Download the prospectus (pdf)