Phippen Western Art Show & Sale
The Phippen Museum’s Western Art Show & Sale brings Western art enthusiasts to the Yavapai County Courthouse.
Now well into its fourth decade, the Phippen Museum will once again host its traditional Memorial Day weekend Western Art Show & Sale. The event brings together thousands of Western art enthusiasts and collectors to admire and purchase the works of some of the most well-known Western artists in America.
This year, participating artists include Al Glann, Gary Byrd, Jason Lohmeier, Joe Toledo, Rob Richards, Russell L. Parker, Tamara Magdalina, Valeriy Kagounkin and
J. Waid Griffin, among many others.
Arizona-based artist Marless Fellows will show her painting Reflections during the weekend, depicting horses wading through a pond. Fellows notes that she loves promoting and sharing the West through her artwork, and says, “My happy childhood was surrounded by horses, donkeys and the cowboy lifestyle that I love and appreciate to this day.”
Scot A. Weir will show his work
Southern Exposure, featuring a Harris hawk and kangaroo rat on a rusted-out pickup. He describes each of his paintings as “an intense Western/wildlife expression done in contemporary realism.”
The majority of the show takes place on the lawn of the historic Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in downtown Prescott, a landmark of the Old West, and this year’s show and sale begins Saturday, May 26, with an unveiling ceremony for a monumental version of George Phippen’s bronze Cowboy in a Storm on the east side of the courthouse. Cowboy in a Storm is the last sculpture Phippen ever produced, and the replica will be on view throughout the weekend.
At 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, around 20 artists will participate in Quick Draw challenges on the north steps of the courthouse. They are challenged to create a finished piece of artwork in 60 minutes while an enthusiastic crowd looks on. The works are framed and immediately auctioned while the paint is still wet.
A ticketed Artists Meet ’n’ Greet Dinner will take place at the museum on Saturday evening, where attendees can explore the current exhibit Cool, Cool Water and enjoy a homestyle barbecue dinner. The awards ceremony will take place on the courthouse’s north steps on Sunday at 11 a.m.
in an event that the public is encouraged to attend. Awards will be presented in 10 categories, including the George Phippen Memorial Foundation Award and the Phippen Family Award.
The weekend also marks the end of the 15th annual Miniature Masterpiece Show & Sale, which begins its run at the museum on May 1. The exhibition ends with a unique sale-by-draw event that takes place on May 28.
The Phippen Museum Western Art Show & Sale is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, and admission to the event and the museum is free throughout the Memorial Day weekend.