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FIERCE FEMMES N o t e d c o n t e m p o r a r y Scandinavian painter Mie Olise Kjærgaard makes her Dallas debut at both a gallery and a private-collection space. Various Small Fires and The Karpidas Collection concurrently showcase Kjærgaard's new series of empowered women that project the stance of Amazons. Mie Olise Kjærgaard's Akroyoga in Bikini on Boat, 2022, at Various Small Fires REDISCOVERING TRAILBLAZERS T he cowboy has long been the iconic symbol of the American West — but that image has generally been a white man on a horse. The African American Museum seeks to change that with "Black Cowboys: An American Story," an exhibition that reveals these often-overlooked trailblazers through 50 artifacts, photographs, documents, and films depicting countless Black men, women, and children, both free and enslaved, who labored on ranches and participated in cattle drives from before The dual exhibitions include 9 large-scale paintings commissioned for Karpidas, in dialogue with artworks from the collection by women artists whom Kjærgaard finds personally and artistically inspiring. "Mie Olise Kjærgaard: Toward Infinity & Beyond," at Various Small Fires, through April 8, vsf.la; "Mie Olise Kjærgaard: Holding Space," and "Your Gaze: Selections from The Karpidas Collection," through April 23, mieolise.com. Catherine D. Anspon the Civil War through the turn of the 20th century. Organized by the Witte Museum in San Antonio, the show weaves a clearer, more encompassing view of the historic lore of the American West. The narrative details the lives of Black cowboys — weeks of riding the range with thousands of cattle, then evolving their skills to own their own ranches, serve as lawmen, become singers, ride in rodeos, and perform in movies. Educational programs accompanying the exhibition include the Black Cowboy Cinema film series, panel discussions with current-day riders of the range (men and women, both retired and active), and a rodeo camp with a mechanical bull and chuck wagon. "Black Cowboys: An American Story," Through April 15, at the African American Museum, 3536 Grand Ave. in Fair Park, aamdallas.org. Billy Fong ACCOLADES AND APPLAUSE A mong the highest honors in the global art world is an award minted in Texas: the Nasher Prize. The lucky Laureate receives not only a $100,000 cash honorarium and a high-profile exhibition at Nasher Sculpture Center but also admittance to a pantheon of living legends who have redefined contemporary sculpture. To date, Nasher Laureates encompass this roll call of greats: Doris Salcedo (2016), Pierre Huyghe (2017), Theaster Gates (2018), Isa Genzken (2019), Michael Rakowitz (2020/2021), Nairy Baghramian (2022), and the recently anointed, now on view 2023 Nasher Prize recipient, Senga Nengudi. Nengudi is the honored headliner at the Nasher Prize Gala held at the Nasher Sculpture Center Saturday, April 1, 2023, receiving an award designed by the museum's architect, Renzo Piano. The Colorado Springs-based artist, a retired professor from the University of Colorado, is the first Black woman sculptor to be thus honored. From the distance of nearly half a century, Nengudi's largely ephemeral, experiential work — employing materials such as sand, pantyhose, colored water, and plastic bags, and the performances she brought forth (largely memorialized only by photos, films, and/or the artist's notes) — are distilled and represented by four key works at the Nasher. The nontraditional sculpture and photographic documentation of performance is emblematic of the consistent concerns of this Laureate's practice: race, gender, labor, ethnicity, and the passage of time. "2023 Nasher Prize Laureate Senga Nengudi," at Nasher Sculpture Center, through Sunday, April 30; nashersculpturecenter.org. Catherine D. Anspon RON POLLARD Nasher Prize 2023 Laureate Senga Nengudi Cowboy & Horse, at the African American Museum Picnic merch at The Power Station Left: Dan Schmahl from the current Picnic Curatorial Projects exhibition CATCH A WAVE KEVIN TODORA DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY 34