Museum of the West welcomes new chief curator

Andrew Patrick Nelson has been named the new chief curator at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

Nelson brings a n extensive academic and professional background.

Nelson joins Western Spirit from the University of Utah, where he is currently the chair of the department of film & media arts and an associate professor of film studies. He holds a Ph.D. in English with a film studies concentration from the University of Exeter, an M.A. in film studies from Carleton University, and a B.A. with distinction in cinema studies and English from the University of Toronto.

He has also served as a guest curator for the exhibition “Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western,” and as a guest film curator at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. He was also a guest film curator at The Autry Museum of the American west in, Los Angeles. He held multiple positions at Montana State University including assistant professor of film history and critical studies, film option coordinator for the school of film & photography, and associate professor of film history and critical studies. He was a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West, and has designed and taught film studies courses at the University of Utah, Montana State University and the University of Calgary.

Nelson also co-hosts the podcast “How the West was Cast” with entertainment journalist Matthew Chernov, and appears as a regular guest on the History Channel, NPR, INSP, Fox News and other outlets. He has authored essays such as “Wagon Mistress, Women in the Western”, 2020, and “John Wayne, Warhol and the West,” 2019. Nelson’s public speaking engagements, which include nearly 40 talks at various institutions, He has authored book reviews and has served as an advisory board member for PBS Utah from 2022 to the present, as well as the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum.

In his new role as chief curator, Nelson will oversee the museum’s exhibitions and collections, bringing his unique perspective to Western Spirit’s mission of celebrating the art, history, and culture of the American West.