More than 500 artworks by Southwestern artist Mac Schweitzer—many unseen for more than six decades—are now on view at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. Mac Schweitzer: A Southwest Maverick Rediscovered marks the first comprehensive museum exhibition of her work, featuring paintings, sketches, prints, and archival materials donated by her family in 2024.
Born Mary Alice Cox in 1921 in Cleveland, Schweitzer trained at the Cleveland School of Art and adopted her initials, M.A.C., as her professional name. Known as one of Tucson’s “Early Moderns,” she became celebrated for her bold murals, including those at the former Trader Vic’s in Old Town Scottsdale, the Tucson YMCA, and a 100-foot mural of galloping horses at Tucson Garden Dance Hall in 1952. Her dynamic depictions of the Southwest’s people, animals, and landscapes earned acclaim from collectors and galleries during her lifetime, though her work faded from public view after her passing 63 years ago.
The new exhibition not only revives Schweitzer’s artistic legacy but also carries a personal connection: guest curator Dr. Ann Lane Hedlund organized the show in memory of her late husband and Mac’s son, Kit Schweitzer.
“By studying the long-hidden family art collections and historic archives, I’ve been thrilled to rediscover and restore Mac’s place among the Southwest’s most significant mid-century artists,” says Hedlund.
Here, we speak with the museum’s chief curator, Andrew Nelson, about the unique exhibition, which is on display through September 2026.
What makes Mac Schweitzer’s work so special?
In the 1950s, Mac Schweitzer was a household name across the Southwest. Her paintings won top prizes, appeared in major exhibitions, and adorned the walls of countless homes as well as public place and business like the old Trader Vic’s in Scottsdale. Critics hailed her as one of the great Western artists of her day. She painted the Southwest—its landscapes, animals, and peoples—with honesty and immediacy. She was prolific, and also her own best promoter. Which meant that, after her early death, she faded from memory. Until now.
How would you describe her images?
Dynamic yet contemplative. She often favored earthy, luminous tones and confident, gestural brushwork that captured the immediacy of her subjects. Her paintings feel honest rather than idealized. There’s a stillness that lingers, as if she painted not just what she saw, but what it felt like to be there.
Why is showcasing her works important to Western Spirit?
Western Spirit exists to tell the story of the West through its art and visual culture, and Schweitzer is an important part of that narrative. She represents a generation of women artists who lived the Western experience as fully as any of their male counterparts but whose contributions have too often gone unrecognized. In dedicating a major retrospective to her work, we’re affirming our commitment to presenting a broader, more inclusive view of Western art—one that honors authenticity, diversity, and artistic excellence.
Where were these images prior to this exhibit?
Most of the works in this exhibition come from the Schweitzer family’s own collection, which was generously donated to Western Spirit in 2022. Additional pieces have been loaned by family and friends, private collectors, and other museums—bringing together, for the first time in decades, the full range of Schweitzer’s remarkable career.
Your personal favorite item from this exhibit?
We have more than 70 artworks on exhibit, so it’s impossible to pick just one. But two special items are Mac’s personal scrapbooks from her youth in Ohio. We’ve digitized these for visitors to explore, page by page. They’re filled with magazine clippings of cowboys, horses, and rodeo stars, but arranged creatively, with some sketches and annotations. It’s a charming glimpse of the great Western artist that Mac would soon become.
You have a personal connection to this exhibit and the artist. Can you share a little about that?
The show is deeply personal for our guest curator, Dr. Ann Lane Hedlund. Ann was married to Schweitzer’s son, Kit, and together they began planning a book about Mac’s art. Kit passed in 2019, but Ann continued the project, ultimately writing Mac Schweitzer: A Southwest Maverick and Her Art, just published by the University of Arizona Press. Ann also established a permanent home for Mac’s work and archives here at Wester Spirit. Ann’s curatorial vision gives this exhibition its emotional heart. The exhibition is grounded not only in Ann’s research, but in family memory, and in a profound admiration for an artist who lived ahead of her time.
"Critics hailed her as one of the great Western artists of her day. She painted the Southwest—its landscapes, animals, and peoples—with honesty and immediacy."—Chief Curator Andrew Nelson