Show Preview | Phippen Western Art Show

Prescott, AZ
Courthouse Plaza, May 25-27

Robert Peters, Navajo Autumn, oil, 9 x 12.

This story was featured in the May 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

FOR DECADES THE historic Yava-pai Courthouse Plaza in downtown Prescott, AZ, has served as a popular gathering place not only for community celebrations but also for widely known and attended attractions like the Phippen Museum’s three-day Western Art Show & Sale. The Memorial Day weekend tradition returns to the plaza for its 45th year on Saturday, May 25, when some of the country’s finest western painters and sculptors display a rich assortment of subject matter in mediums ranging from oil painting to drawing to bronze.

Gracing the plaza this year are more than 90 juried artists, including both established and emerging talents, who form an “incredibly diverse” group, says Phippen Museum’s executive director, Edd Kellerman. “It’s hard to believe all these folks are interested in creating art of the American West,” he adds. “We have artists from China and Russia, and from various tribal communities. And of course, American western art is always evolving, but there are also artists in the show who create art in the vein of Russell and Remington.”

: Tracy Avant, West of Yellowstone–Along the Gallatin River, oil, 10 x 10.

: Jan Mapes, Muy Cansado de Leña, bronze, 5 x 12 x 7.

: Dan Mieduch, And the Skies Are Not Cloudy All Day, oil, 9 x 12.

As in years past, the event-packed weekend offers Quick Draw competitions, live auctions, and an awards ceremony on the north courthouse steps. Also back by popular demand is the ticketed Saturday-evening Meet and Greet Dinner, where guests are treated to a ranch-style feast, western-themed entertainment, and a unique opportunity to mingle with the artists in a personal setting. In addition, the Miniature Masterpieces Show & Sale—an exhibition featuring small-scale works by top western artists like Edward Aldrich, Krystii Melaine, Bill Nebeker, and Robert Peters—hangs through the weekend and culminates in a sale-by-draw on Monday, May 27, at 11 a.m.

Billed as a “small works to go” art sale, PAWs to Celebrate is also on view. The exhibition, where purchased pieces can be taken home immediately, features works created by award-winning artists from the three previous Memorial Day weekend shows. Among them are Steve Atkinson, Kim Obrzut, and last year’s Best of Show recipient Bill Cramer, all of whom display their works on the plaza, in the miniatures show, and in the PAWs exhibition.

It all adds up to a must-see collection of western art, which these days is not just about cowboys, Indians, and horses, notes Kellerman. “It’s so much more than that,” he says, “and I think this group of artists dramatically illustrates that.” —Kim Agricola

contact information
928.778.1385
www.phippenartmuseum.org