The Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles has chosen Karen Halverson as the inaugural recipient of the Theo Westenberger Award for Artistic Excellence. The award, made possible by the Westenberger estate, honors the achievements of contemporary women whose work in photography, film and new media transforms how we see the American West.
Judges for the award were impressed with how Halverson’s work “references art historical precedent from recognized western sources, from the magisterial perspective favored by romantic landscape painters to the serial, narrative, and often panoramic nature of historical survey photography.” They noted that “at the same time, Halverson’s work adds to the canon by incorporating signifiers that address both presence and absence as central to the ongoing debate about the development, ownership, and experience of western lands.”
To honor Halverson’s receipt of the Westenberger award, The Autry will mount an exhibition of her work, “The Marks We Make: Western Panoramas,” from April 14 to September 9, 2012.