Research Center

"A portrait is the interpretation of a personality, not a blueprint or a painstaking copy of eyes, nose and mouth. A portrait describes the entire figure even though it is a vignetted head. The head is very much connected to the rest of the figure and that is not as silly as it sounds! What the body does, how it moves, the way it stands is all reflected in the head. A perfect portrait can be made of a rear view of a figure, no face showing. A portrait head can be an exact likeness without the eyes, nose and mouth, simply by a careful painting of the muscles, and bony forms." (Bettina Steinke (1913-1999), illustrator, genre, native figure and portrait artist, August 1977).

The Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum preserves and interprets the heritage of the American West for the enrichment of the public by collecting, organizing, describing, and making available library and archival materials related to the collecting areas of the museum. The museum has identified contemporary western art as one of its major collecting strengths.

To enable the Center to seek documentation of contemporary western art, the A. Keith Brodkin Contemporary Western Artists Project is critical. The Brodkin Project facilitates the collection, preservation, and accessibility of primary resources such as personal papers, studio ephemera, photographs, libraries, and other items which are often overlooked and lost to posterity and which reflect the artist’s life and career. Additional resources are acquired through personal oral histories via recorded interviews. Collecting these resources effectively preserves artists’ careers for posterity and provides future artists, art historians, educators, and researchers with documentary evidence.

The Brodkin project was formalized in February 2001 based upon a proposal drafted in January. The generous funding of the project insures the ongoing activities associated with the following initiatives: a) securing the materials through an active field program, b) properly storing, cataloging, and preserving the materials, and c) maintaining an efficient computerized retrieval process by which information about the materials is made available for research use.

On March 15, 2001 the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts transferred ownership of the Bettina Steinke papers, the first major collection acquired under the aegis of the Brodkin project.

As of December 31, 2007 the Dickinson Research Center has contacted 87 artists to solicit their participation in the project. Of these 87, 82 artists (94%) have indicated a strong, reserved, or possible likelihood to participate. Of these 82 artists, 65 (79%) have contributed tangibly by donating either clippings, magazine articles, books, and videotapes; or, by having interviews about their lives and careers recorded for inclusion in the Center's oral history holdings; or, by having art demonstrations videorecorded for inclusion in the Center's moving images holdings; or, finally, but most significantly, by donating their personal papers.

These artists are listed here:
Robert Abbett, William Acheff, Joe Anna Arnett, Gerald Balciar, Carrie Ballantyne, Joseph Bohler, James Boren, Harley Brown, Duane Bryers, Kenneth Bunn, George Carlson, Ken Carlson, Tim Cherry, Len Chmiel, Scott L. Christensen, Don Crowley, Pino Dangelico, Randal Dutra, Loren Entz, Edward Fraughton, Luke Frazier, Charles Fritz, Glenna Goodacre, Richard Greeves, Tom Hill, Harold Holden, Clark Hulings, Wilson Hurley, Doug Hyde, Ned Jacob, Everett Raymond Kinstler, James Kramer, Bob Kuhn, David Leffel, Tom Lovell, Walter Matia, Ross Matteson, Sherrie McGraw, Jim Morgan, Terri Kelly Moyers, Bill Owen, Thomas Quinn, William Reese, James Reynolds, R. S. Riddick, Kenneth Riley, Morris Rippel, Tom Ryan, Sherry Salari Sander, Sandy Scott, Tim Shinabarger, Lowell Ellsworth Smith, Tucker Smith, Don Spaulding, Bettina Steinke, Ray Swanson, Howard Terpning, Susan Terpning, Shirley Thomson-Smith, Kent Ullberg, Dave Wade, Curt Walters, William Whitaker, Hollis Williford, and Jim Wilcox.

Most of these artists have had long associations with this museum through the National Academy of Western Artists. Several have been honored for their art with the Prix de West Award.

We have digitally sound recorded interviews with 34 artists including William Acheff, Gerald Balciar, Carrie Ballantyne, Joseph Bohler, Kenneth Bunn, George Carlson, Ken Carlson, Pino Dangelico, Randal Dutra, Edward Fraughton, Richard Greeves, Tom Hill, Harold Holden, Doug Hyde, James Kramer, Bob Kuhn, David Leffel, Sherrie McGraw, Jim Morgan, Terri Kelly Moyers, Bill Owen, Thomas Quinn, William Reese, Morris Rippel, Sandy Scott, Tim Shinabarger, Lowell Ellsworth Smith, Tucker Smith, Shirley Thomson-Smith, Kent Ullberg, Dave Wade, Curt Walters, William Whitaker, and Jim Wilcox.

We have digitally video recorded interviews with 22 artists including Robert Abbett, Gerald Balciar, Harley Brown, Duane Bryers, Don Crowley, Edward Fraughton, Glenna Goodacre, Tom Hill, Clark Hulings, Wilson Hurley, Doug Hyde, Ned Jacob, Bob Kuhn, William Reese, James Reynolds, R. S. Riddick, Kenneth Riley, Tom Ryan, Lowell Ellsworth Smith, Donald Spaulding, Howard Terpning, and William Whitaker.

Altogether 47 different artists have their oral histories recorded, preserved and made available to visitors/researchers in the Research Center.

Consulting our web site and accessing the Dickinson Research Center will allow you to search our library holdings for the interview records through our web catalog. You can also investigate the finding aids for the Tom Lovell, Bill Reese, Tom Ryan, and Lowell Ellsworth Smith.

Below are video clips from several of these interviews. Look for future updates on the progress of the project as well as new video and sound clips. Take a look at our virtual exhibit about the Overland Westerners.

Lowell Ellsworth Smith Hudson, Ohio September 25, 2002 Mr. Smith explains why he gave up drumming for the college band to pursue art. VIDEO 9MB MPG File	Gerald Balciar Parker, Colorado October 21, 2002 Mr. Balciar explains why at age 19 he wanted to become a sculptor. VIDEO 15MB MPG File	Kenneth Riley Oklahoma City, Oklahoma March 8, 2003 Mr. Riley talks about the helping hand given to him from his teacher, Olive Rees, in Parsons, Kansas. VIDEO 19MB MPG File
Bill Reese Wenatchee, Washington March 27, 2001 Mr. Reese recounts his near-death experience which prompted him to pursue an art career. VIDEO 19MB MPG File	Duane Bryers Sonoita, Arizona February 15, 2003 Mr. Bryers explains what causes him to be an artist. VIDEO 17MB MPG File	Wilson Hurley Albuquerque, NM April 17, 2003 Mr. Hurley describes the relationship between his father, Patrick Hurley, and Will Rogers. VIDEO 21MB MPG File