In 2006, Desert Caballeros Western Museum embraced a revolutionary idea: an annual exhibition showcasing the brightest contemporary female artists working in the Western genre. In the male-dominated world of Western Art, Cowgirl Up! turned the spotlight squarely on women’s voices and perspectives, serving up a new, deeper understanding of the American West. Over a decade later, CU! remains one of the major national events for Western women artists. For more information visit https://westernmuseum.org/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 The Desert Caballeros Western Museum is a great place to go learn about Southwest culture
00:07 and history.
00:08 And they're currently prepping for their annual Cowgirl Up event happening this weekend.
00:12 Well, we are so excited to have museum curator, Dr. Trisha Loescher here to tell us all about
00:18 it.
00:19 Welcome, Dr. Trish.
00:20 How are you?
00:21 Great.
00:22 Hi.
00:23 Thank you very much for having me.
00:24 Thank you for being here.
00:25 So before we get into the event that is happening this weekend, I just want to hear a little
00:28 bit about the museum and who you guys are.
00:30 Yeah, it's a fabulous museum.
00:33 It's been in Wickenburg.
00:34 It opened in 1960, so it has quite a long history.
00:38 It was founded in 1960 and it has an affiliated Smithsonian Institution accreditation.
00:46 It's also accredited by the American Association of Museums.
00:50 And it's really a dynamic museum for adults and children.
00:56 When you go in, you will see a lot of Western art by the Cowboy Artists of America.
01:02 Some of the big names, Charles Russell, Frederick Remington.
01:06 We have a very important collection of paintings and bronzes.
01:09 And then when you go downstairs, there's an actual recreated period Victorian town that
01:15 is a lot of fun.
01:17 Oh, no way.
01:18 That is so cool.
01:19 Wow.
01:20 I'll bet that is the highlight of the museum, getting to kind of step back in time, if you
01:25 will, and experience it as we imagine it to be.
01:29 That's really, really cool.
01:30 So, Caballeros obviously means cowboys.
01:33 So this is all about cowboys.
01:35 But the event that you have coming up is all about cowgirls.
01:39 So tell me a little bit about the event coming up this weekend.
01:41 It is.
01:42 Yes, this event is really unusual.
01:44 It's one of a kind in the United States as far as really promoting women artists.
01:50 For 19 years, we've been doing this.
01:53 And next year will be our 20th year.
01:55 That's exciting.
01:56 It is very exciting.
01:57 We have 64 women artists from as far away as Wisconsin and Virginia, all the way to
02:03 California, of course, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado.
02:09 They have bronzes and paintings.
02:12 We have a whole category of miniatures.
02:14 So if you want a smaller painting, there are lots of beautiful miniatures available.
02:19 And we have what we call our main sale pieces, which are much larger paintings and bronzes.
02:24 We also have mini bronzes, too.
02:26 So this is a great event to come out if you are looking for a super unique Southwest piece
02:32 for your home.
02:33 This is a great time to come, ready to shop, ready to go look at some really unique, incredible
02:39 paintings.
02:40 And I just really quickly want to ask about some of the more kind of far away artists,
02:45 because I wonder, the artists who come from like Wisconsin, you were saying, or Virginia,
02:50 is their culture wildly different from the Southwest kind of cowboy, cowgirl kind of
02:55 world?
02:56 I mean, what do those paintings look like?
02:58 Well, those paintings are all Western.
03:00 You know, a lot of the artists, even though they may be from further away, they are influenced
03:04 by the American West, or they'll come out and they'll stay and have periods of time
03:08 where they're painting.
03:10 And it's really a camaraderie, too, I should point out, with all of the artists.
03:14 So it's a collaboration, you know, they support each other, you know, outside of this annual
03:19 event for the three-day weekend.
03:22 It's really a wonderful group in that they really are together and supportive of each
03:29 other.
03:30 That's great, I love that.
03:31 And all of the artwork, you know, is Western, you know, cowboys and many, you know, different
03:37 kinds of ranching scenes.
03:39 But there's also a lot of bronzes and kind of even contemporary pieces and more abstract.
03:46 So a lot of variety.
03:47 A lot of variety.
03:48 What about the proceeds?
03:49 I want to know about that.
03:51 What about the proceeds from the paintings?
03:52 Yeah, that's a great question.
03:54 The proceeds also go to the artists, as well as the museum, and they help to fund our educational
04:00 mission and our exhibitions at the museum.
04:03 So it's really a wonderful way to support the artists, as well as our non-profit.
04:08 And then Miss Rodeo is this weekend, as well.
04:11 She's going to be there.
04:12 That's true.
04:13 Miss America Rodeo, Emma Cameron, and she will be there on Sunday.
04:18 And we have a wonderful event.
04:20 It's called a Quick Draw, and the artists set up outside the museum, and they paint,
04:25 and one artist will be sculpting.
04:27 And then they auction those off at 11 o'clock, and it's really remarkable to see what the
04:32 artists can do in about an hour and a half.
04:35 It's super dynamic.
04:36 I love that it's Quick Draw.
04:38 It's kind of literal.
04:39 That's great.
04:40 But Dr. Trish, tell everybody where they can find more information about the event.
04:44 Yes, please visit our website at westernmuseum.org.
04:47 Great.
04:48 All right, this sounds like a blast.
04:50 Cowgirl up.
04:51 I'm excited to learn more.
04:53 All right, thanks, Dr. Trish.
04:54 Thank you.
04:55 Hey, stick around, guys, because we have more of the mix coming up after this.
05:02 The preceding portion of the Arizona Daily Mix was sponsored by Desert Caballeros Western
05:07 Museum.
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