The Autry Files

April 28, 2020

Is This a Western? (Episode 5): The Mandalorian

Is This a Western?

Two viewers independently suggest The Mandalorian, and Josh Garrett-Davis has to call in backup: Star Wars fan and the Autry’s Associate Curator of Archaeology and Osteology, Karimah Richardson. Read more

April 28, 2020

When Harry Met Coyote

Exhibitions

Harry Fonseca, Wide-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed # 1 (detail), 1993, acrylic on canvas. © Autry Museum of the American West; 2016.10.211

By: Amy Scott, Executive Vice President of Research and Interpretation and Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross Curator of Visual Arts

“Harry, I understand, Coyote brother, the how and why and why not Coyote needs to laugh—so we can love those who make us feel contradictions we need to see, that we need to realize, that we need to know what our lives have... Read more

April 27, 2020

Griffith Park Yarnscapes 1: How to Crochet Leafy Daisies

DIY / Exhibitions

Have you had enough passive screen-time and want to make something with your hands, maybe learning a new skill in the process? Join us in contributing to a gallery display of Griffith Park in crochet, with the help of these how-to videos.

The Autry’s exhibition Investigating Griffith Park is a multi-year community-guided initiative that explores the past, present and future of the nation’s largest urban park and much of the gallery consists of content contributed by visitors to... Read more

April 27, 2020

L.A. Poets in Place: Sounds

L.A. Poets in Place

image by Vena Lissette

Pandemic or not, music is a main source of comfort for a lot of us. Whatever and whenever a new normal materializes you can bet that music will be there! In last week’s L.A. Poets in Place: Sounds,local poets talked about how music plays into their lives. If you missed it, find a video of the Zoom meet-up below.

We recently created a pandemic playlist filled with songs crowd sourced between Autry staff and program attendees.Tune in to tune out the anxiety or discomfort you may be feeling and get ready for a journey through... Read more

April 24, 2020

Aloha Friday: Rags to Aloha Shirts

Aloha Friday / Exhibitions
CURATORIAL STATEMENT

Over the past four years we have been working on Dress Codes , an exhibition that looks at clothing and street fashions that emerged from Western work, communities, traditions, and social movements and which are now adapted around the world.

The Autry’s mission is to tell the diverse stories of the American West. We support a community where all feel welcome and safe. When we started this project, we did not foresee how Aloha shirts, whose long history we explore in this... Read more

April 24, 2020

The Stories Found When #ArchivingWomen

Collections / Revealing Women in the Archives
By: Victoria Bernal, Women in the Archives Social Media Manager and Liza Posas, Head of Research Services and Archives In January, the Autry embarked on a year-long Revealing Women in the Archives initiative that celebrates the 2020 centennial of women winning the vote by facilitating the discovery of women’s historical contributions. Through programming, a workshop series, a social media campaign and the exhibition, What’s Her Story: Women in the Archives... Read more
April 21, 2020

Luke Erickson: Floating World: Pacific Coast Highway

Exhibitions

Minneapolis-based photographer Luke Erickson’s Floating World: Pacific Coast Highway series captures an altogether unexpected view of that iconic stretch of road, California’s fabled Pacific Coast Highway. Drawing on his experience as a Hollywood location scout, Erickson explores aspects of place integral to our experience but all too often overlooked; the parking lots, signage, fences, roadside detritus and other aspects of the urban infrastructure.

The result is a striking combination of the extraordinary and the mundane; scenes that are all too familiar are reimagined... Read more

April 21, 2020

Safety First With Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

Collections / Library and Archives

By Mallory Furnier, former Autry Project Archivist

Many Roy Rogers and Dale Evans promotions revolved around their licensed merchandise, though not every publicity bonanza centered on branded products. Rogers and Evans also made their name as champions of a variety of charities. Beginning first in the late 1940s, the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Safety Slogan Contest and School Safety Awards encouraged schools and individual students to consider safety issues and prevent accidents. It is unclear when the contests ended and how much they overlapped, but both appeared with regularity until... Read more

April 20, 2020

Is this a Western? (Episode 4): Jurassic Park 

Is This a Western?

This week a college professor asks if the now-classic dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park is a Western. Read more

April 20, 2020

Generosity in Unprecedented Times

Autry Campaign

By: Jenny Davidson-Goldbronn, Senior Director of Development

Donors Bruce and Carol Johnston share what they love about the Autry, why they joined the Autry’s premier recognition society Curator's Circle , and why they did so now amidst unprecedented times.

Bruce and Carol have enjoyed Autry exhibitions, cultural activities, and special events for years, including ... Read more