December, 2014: The exhibition was part of a larger event, American Culture Days in Turkmenistan that took place in November of 2014.  Artists from both countries were shown together for the first time in history, in an exquisite marble museum venue.  Visitors felt the beauty, the magic, and the power of both deserts in each work, from the smallest insect to the largest panorama.

Stetson co-curated the collection with museum director Meredov, and her vision was twofold:  to connect the populations of both countries through the common experience of their landscapes, as expressed by their artists – and to remind us of how small our world has become, and how precious the natural world is to all of us.  We are all increasingly interconnected around this small planet of ours, and it is our hope that this exhibit reveals our intimacy and interdependence with what Native Americans in New Mexico remind us is our Mother Earth.

Aside from the museum exhibition, Stetson taught workshops and at a variety of schools and academies, as well as working in a Master Class with Turkmenistan’s celebrated artist Husein Husein.  Photos below are of the exhibit and of Stetson with painters and students, in a traditional Turkmen dress that was tailored for her in one day for the events.

Watch this short video about the experience, The Spirit of Two Deserts: Stetson in Turkmenistan 2014. 

Stetson’s own contribution to the exhibit is Rainbow Path to the Other Side – oil and acrylic on board – 24”x20”