– The Southwest has been marketed through media to attract tourists since the early 1900s, using art and imagery.
– Artists and the Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) played a significant role in this marketing.
– The Museum of Northern Arizona’s upcoming exhibit will explore the impact of this romanticization on the region’s indigenous communities and natural environment.
– The exhibit will cover the portrayal of the Southwest in media, its transformation into a tourist hotspot, its impact on Native American communities, conservation challenges, and its influence on popular culture.
– The museum aims to encourage critical thinking about the region’s portrayal and its commercialization’s impact on indigenous communities and natural beauty.