Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West
Big crowds turn out for the 14th annual Cowgirl Up! exhibition at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum.
Wickenburg, AZ
More than 1,500 patrons turned up for the 14th annual Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West exhibition March 29 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The event, held at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, is one of the top Western shows in the country geared exclusively to women. The exhibition continuously brings together fresh perspectives, art styles and subject matter in a show that features both traditional and contemporary Western artists.
This year’s show saw a huge turnout, which was especially noticeable during the quickdraw on the last day of the opening weekend as visitors spilled from crowded sidewalks onto the closed-off street that runs in front of the museum. It was often elbow to elbow as onlookers craned to see the artists painting their works in front of a live audience that frequently asked questions, made inquiries and interacted with the artists in engaging ways. By the end of the quickdraw event, which featured a live auction to sell the 23 painted works, more than $51,000 had been raised, a portion of which went directly to the museum and its programming.
Earlier in the weekend, there was a miniature sale and reception, with several artists selling out completely including a new
artist, Western Shoshone painter Micqaela Jones. During Saturday evening’s by-draw sale, 49 of the 56 participating artists greeted museum patrons and collectors as fixedprice bids were placed on the works that ranged from oil paint and pastels to bronze and marble works.
Award winners were Erin Hanson, who won best of show for her dramatic landscape Desert in Color; Sonja Caywood won for work on canvas for her piece Lean on Me;
Stephanie Campos won for work on paper with her charcoal work Chief Joseph; Stephanie Revennaugh took home the bronze award for her horse piece Eons; Sherry Cobb won both the director’s choice award for new artists and the patron’s choice award presented by our sister publication, American Art Collector; and the Linda Glover Gooch won the artists’ choice award. Rebecca Tobey, who works in both ceramic and bronze, won the coveted museum purchase award for her A Friendly Game of Tag,
featuring a highly stylized bear in a standing pose. Finally, the Western Art Collector award of excellence was given to Shelby Keefe.
The exhibition continues through May 12. During the exhibition’s run, all unsold works from the opening weekend will still be available for purchase.