Landscape of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West by Betsy Fahlman, Book, copyright 2015

Landscape of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West explores the profound influence of mining on the landscapes, culture, and artistic imagination of the American West. Edited by Betsy Fahlman, this richly illustrated volume accompanied a major exhibition examining how artists have documented, interpreted, and responded to mining activity from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Bringing together paintings, photographs, prints, and contemporary works of art, the book investigates the complex relationship between resource extraction, environmental transformation, economic development, and regional identity. Through scholarly essays and exceptional visual material, readers gain insight into how mining shaped both the physical landscape of the West and the artistic traditions that emerged alongside it.

Featuring works by historic and contemporary artists, Landscape of Extraction offers a thoughtful examination of industry, labor, environmental change, and the enduring visual power of mining landscapes. An important resource for collectors of Western art, historians of the American West, and those interested in the intersection of art, industry, and environmental history.

Editor: Betsy Fahlman
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press in association with the Tucson Museum of Art
Copyright: 2015
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 240
Illustrations: Extensive color and black-and-white illustrations throughout