Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West

Works from an exhibition that proves mining can be as sublime as it is destructive.

Landscapes of Extraction explores the art of mining, which completely transformed the American West. These landscapes of enterprise altered the natural environment on a spectacular scale, with open-pit mines, coal tipples, and oil rigs. Yet artists have often found these scenes beautiful, even sublime.

The four scholarly essays presented here explore how artists have portrayed the mining industry in the Ame...