A Fresh Look
When I started with Western Art Collector, the magazine was just wrapping its 77th Issue. This would have been November 2013. At that time, there was a rumor around the office that a redesign of the magazine was going to happen. When? Well, no one knew, but it would be soon. Here we are with the 200th Issue and, look ma, it finally happened!
The delays were largely self-imposed because we wanted to get this right, but also because we were busy adapting and innovating with the flow of an active market. We were creating new ways to read the magazine online and on your favorite devices. We launched a companion magazine, Native American Art, which has gone on to shine within an art market that shares many collectors with Western art. Today that magazine has a huge presence, including as the official magazine of Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. We started a podcast, the American Art Collective, which has put stories about Western artists directly into the ears of new collectors. We considerably ramped up our presence, both as partners and media sponsors, at art shows nationwide.
In other words, we’ve been busy and the redesign was the can that kept getting kicked down the road. That is, until 2024. As the 200th Issue came into view, we knew now was the time. The milestone felt right, as did the need to freshen up certain parts of the magazine without taking anything away. You’ll notice in this issue that all your favorite sections are here, as is the top-notch reporting within the Western art market. We are committed to bringing you the best coverage in the West—that will never change.
What we did change is the cover and logo, which has been given a slight makeover but is still very recognizable as Western Art Collector. Inside the magazine, some of the changes include new designs for all our reports and previews. We are also adding bylines to almost all of the articles, so our talented editors and writers can be recognized for their contributions to the history of Western art. You’ll also notice we are grouping many of our department features within a new section called Western Art Roundup. This is where you’ll find news items, recent acquisitions, reports from museum curators, and our popular Fresh Paint section that allows us to look at new works available for purchase.
Finally, one of my favorite additions is the small icon that will appear at the end of most articles. Look closely and you will see a small bison skull, which is our tribute to Charles M. Russell and some of the other early Western artists who laid the foundation for what we all celebrate today.