Artist Statement:

My artwork reckons with my conflicted feelings as a beneficiary of the tragic legacy of Westward Expansion. Using inherited materials and practices, I explore how that legacy influences my perceptions of masculinity, responsibility, and social connection. I’m attracted to the Mythic Cowboy, archetype of the rugged individualist. I’m tempted to embrace the gunfighter’s ability to take control of life to solve my problems and society’s ills by sheer force of will. But the gunfighter is a myth, and there are no simple solutions. So, I ask, what parts of the legacy are worth keeping, and how do I leave the rest behind?

Bio:

Nathanael Read is a printmaker, quilter, collage artist, and animator originally from Salt Lake City, UT. He received his BFA from the University of Utah and received his MFA from the University of Connecticut. His work has been exhibited at Finch Lane Gallery, Springville Museum of Art in Utah, South Cobb Art Alliance in Georgia, the Hartnett Museum at the University of Richmond in Virginia, The Wurks in Rhode Island, the Mattatuck Museum, the Dye & Bleach House Community Gallery, and the William Benton Museum of Art in Connecticut.