Georgia O’Keeffe taught art at West Texas State Normal College in Canyon, Texas.
O’Keeffe taught at the college from 1916 to 1918. The school, now West Texas A&M University, was located in the Texas Panhandle near dramatic plains and canyon country. The landscape gave her direct experience of the region’s broad horizons, strong light, and distinctive geological forms.
Her teaching years in Canyon followed the abstract charcoal drawings that brought her work to Alfred Stieglitz’s attention. During this period she continued developing her own art while working as an instructor and building a reputation beyond the classroom.
Canyon is sometimes confused with Amarillo because Amarillo is the larger nearby city and a regional center. The college, however, was in Canyon. O’Keeffe later moved to New Mexico, where the Southwest became even more central to her art and public identity.