The Autry’s Vice President of Research and Interpretation and the Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross Curator of Visual Arts Amy Scott will lead a members-only small group tour of the Autry’s new exhibition Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents in the Marilyn and Calvin Gross Gallery. 

After the tour, members may stay for the Autry After Hours event at 7 p.m. connected to the Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents Western art exhibition.

February 14 – March 29, 2026 

Marilyn and Calvin Gross Gallery 

Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents traces the parallel rise of Southern California and the Southwest as hubs of artistic innovation—and the lasting impact of these legacies on how we see and experience these places still. Around the turn of the twentieth century, artists seeking subject matter that felt at once recognizably American yet untainted by the industrial modernism of East Coast cities flocked to places like Laguna Beach in Southern California or Taos and Santa Fe in Northern New Mexico. These different but complementary impulses became the basis for organizations such as the California Art Club (founded 1909), the Laguna Beach Art Association (founded 1918), and the Taos Society of Artists (founded 1915), fostering a sense of shared artistic values based on regional character. 

The images they generated—of sun washed hills, dramatic deserts, and portraits of Pueblo life—have influenced regional identity, artistic production, and tourist expectations ever since. By showcasing historical work alongside contemporary art that reimagines these traditions, Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents speaks to the ongoing exchange between art and place that continues to drive how we see the West today.