'Visions of the American West' Masterpieces from Buffalo Bill Historical Center on display

In a landmark collaboration, Cheekwood Museum and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center have brought the epic romance and adventure of the American West to Nashville in "Visions of the American West: Masterworks from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center." The 200-piece exhibition, which inhabits every gallery space at Cheekwood, marks the show's first venture away from its home in Cody, Wyo.

"The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is one of the best destinations in the world to learn about the West," said Jochen Wierich, Cheekwood's curator of art. "Native Americans and cowboys, landscapes, technology, history, art and, of course, Buffalo Bill tell the story of all these facets of the West through a vast collection contained within five distinct museums."

The original Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show captivated audiences in Nashville on many occasions, performing there seven times between 1884 and 1909.

"Visions of the American West" features eight distinct sections, each one dedicated to a particular Western experience.

n Art: Masterpieces from the Whitney Gallery of Western Art including works by Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and many others who helped to create a mythic image of the Old West that endures to the present.

n Plains Indian Collection: Representing everyday life and cultural traditions preserved in beautifully crafted artifacts, these include tribal objects such as war bonnets, clothing and weapons from the Sioux, Crow, Kiowa, Blackfeet and other Plains Indian people.

n Firearms of the West: The exhibition showcases objects from the Cody Firearms Museum that are of historical and aesthetic importance, such as a rifle used by George Armstrong Custer, different models of the Colt revolver and a tripod mounted Gatling Gun.

n Cowboy Life: This section revisits the actual cowboy experience as well as the myth, featuring historic everyday objects, the Mexican vaquero, the fancier cowboy "high style," the West of pop culture, including a 10-gallon hat worn by Hoss Cartwright from the television program "Bonanza."

n Women of the West: These objects pay tribute to the women of the West through a select number of items such as the wedding dress of William F. Cody's daughter, Arta, and the entire outfit of historic cowgirl Etheyle Parry. These specific historic women are surrounded by paintings, photographs and some everyday objects documenting the life of a ranch woman.

n Horse Culture: This gallery contains beautiful examples of cowboy horse gear, American Indian saddle blankets and saddlebags, and a historic saddle owned by President Theodore Roosevelt.

n William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody: This features personal items, including Buffalo Bill's buckskin shirt, Stetson hat, Congressional Medal of Honor and the Spider Studebaker buggy that he acquired in England and brought back to Wyoming. The Wild West Show that traveled around the world and brought Buffalo Bill international fame is richly documented, including a shotgun and autographed target disc used by cast member Annie Oakley during performances. In Cheekwood's video stalls, visitors will be able to view original footage from the Wild West Show.

n Yellowstone: Large-format photographs and a video introduce visitors in Nashville to the wildlife, landscape and human experience of Yellowstone Country.

"Visions of the American West" continues through March 4.

Cheekwood, 1200 Forrest Park Drive near Brentwood, is open 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday (all times Central). Guided tours are given every Saturday at 1 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $12 seniors and $8 children ages 6-17. Call 615-356-8000 for information.