Show Preview | Cowgirl Up! - Southwest Art Magazine

Wickenburg, AZ
Desert Caballeros Western Museum, March 24-May 7

Trust by Sherry Blanchard Stuart.

This story was featured in the February 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art February 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

In a nod to women artists everywhere, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum celebrates women and their rightful place in the western art world with its annual Cowgirl Up! Art From the Other Half of the West show and sale next month. For over a decade, Cowgirl Up! has ranked as a leader in women-only western art shows, and this year’s invitational exhibition and sale offers more than ever before, with 10 brand-new artists and nine women who have been part of the juried show every year since its inception.

Mary Ann Igna, the museum’s curator and deputy director, says she’s excited for audiences to see the diverse range of art presented. “There’s a little something that appeals to everybody,” Igna says. “There’s not only a wide age range, but there’s a range from up-and-coming to established artists.”

Just 58 women artists were select-ed from hundreds of applicants across the country to represent the top female voices in western fine art today. The full spectrum of western American art is represented, with over 200 paintings, drawings, and sculptures on view at the museum in a variety of styles ranging from traditional cowboy scenes and wildlife to contemporary figures and landscapes.

: Angela Babby, Love Trumps Hate, enameled art glass, 20 x 24.

: Deanne McKeown, Tom, Dick, and Mary, bronze, 14 x 13 x 29.

: Sure Shot by Judith Durr

: Mo Hair by Sharon Markwardt.

: Monuments of Yesteryear by Kathy Beekman

: October Evening on the Chama by Barbara Meikle.

The opening-weekend festivities kick off with a preview and miniatures sale on Friday, March 24, followed by the artists’ and patrons’ party in the evening. Saturday brings a forum for artists and collectors starting at 11 a.m., with a dynamic group discussion on the state of western art and the support of its patrons. On Saturday evening, the Bash and Bid Sale ensues with an artists’ awards dinner and live auction, where all attendees are encouraged to wear their best dressy western attire at the lively gala. The chuck wagon breakfast and Quick Draw commences on Sunday morning, March 26, at 9 a.m.; a spirited live auction of the still-wet artworks follows.

Igna says this show is unique in that there are no competitive feelings between the women—only encouragement and support. Rox Corbett, a veteran participant in the show, agrees. “The camaraderie between the women is quite special,” Corbett says. “You come away feeling lifted up, and all the women share in this positive environment together.”

Corbett, known for her highly detailed drawings of domestic and wild animals, gives credit to the Cowgirl Up! show for launching her career as an artist in 2008. “I feel so fortunate to be part of such a prestigious show in a world where women artists are quite underrepresented,” Corbett says.

For Angela Babby, an artist specializing in kiln-fired enameled art-glass mosaics, people inspired her most when creating work to bring to the show. This is the first year Babby has been invited to participate. “I started working with glass because it makes my images waterproof and gives them a three-dimensional, semi-surreal feeling that I love,” Babby says. “My work relies on color, texture, patterns, and light to create emotionally charged thought experiments.”

: Summer Grace by Terry Cooke Hall.

: Angela Babby, Last Best Mirror Guy, enameled art glass, 12 x 12.

: Angela Babby, Love is Love, enameled art glass, 28 x 38.

: Kayenta Sand by Erin Hanson.

: Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, Around San Antonio, oil, 18 x 24.

: Sylvan Sweetheart by Rox Corbett.

As a Native American living in Arizona, Judith Durr brings a distinct artistry inspired by her heritage. This is Durr’s fifth year participating in the event, and she says she loves all the weekend events bringing artists, collectors, and patrons together. “There is so much incredible art in one place, and my favorite part is the opportunity to meet and talk with these fabulous artists,” she says.

All tickets for the weekend-long events are now available on the museum’s website. —Katie Askew

contact information
928.684.2272
www.westernmuseum.org