A Southwest Maverick

 

On Friday afternoon, I attended a member's preview of a new exhibit that opened over the weekend. The exhibit was at the Western Spirit Museum and it featured an artist that time had lost track of.  She went by the name of Mac Schweitzer (1921-1962).  

I love it when I'm introduced to an accomplished woman that history has forgotten.

If Mac had lived longer, she may well have become as well known as artists like Georgia O'Keefe but her early death cut short a career that could have moved into that echelon. Above is one of her paintings called "Wrangling the Brood Mares". It was painted in 1958.

She was born in Ohio but moved west in her early years and made the western landscape and its people the essence of her work.  Above are three paintings featuring scenes from Northern Arizona and New Mexico on the lands of Navajo, Hopi and Zuni tribes. The larger painting above is called "Second Mesa".

 Her artistic skills included drawing, painting, print making and sculpture.  The two pictures above feature scenes from the blessing ceremonies at the Zuni Pueblo.  

The exhibit featured paintings from many private collections to bring together a large scope of her work.  The curator who led the private showing was Ann Lane Hedlund who was the daughter-in-law of Mac Schweitzer.  Ann and her late husband Kit were instrumental in bringing Mac's work back to the public eye and putting together the exhibit and the beautiful book to go with it.