M E D I A   RELEASE

Cowgirl Up! Show & Sale Kicks Off 11^th Year

Wickenburg, AZ: Desert Caballeros Western Museum’s annual Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West” Invitational Exhibition & Sale runs March 18 through May 8. Now in its 11^th year, this has become one of the most important art shows for women artists, whose artwork captures the spirit and lifestyle of the American West.

By generating over a half-million dollars in sales for its artists, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum’s Cowgirl Up! invitational exhibition and sale has put Wickenburg on the map as a hot art destination – and not just in Arizona, but throughout the West.

Opening weekend events (March 18-20) include an artists and patrons party, miniatures sale, Bash ‘n Bid Gala, a Chuck Wagon Breakfast, Artists Quick Draw and live auctions. New this year, there will be more space devoted to the miniatures portion of the exhibition and the event will feature upgraded facilities for the opening weekend events.

With 58 artists in this year’s show presenting more than 200 paintings, sculptures and drawings, you would have to travel to major art shows throughout the West to see the breadth and depth of what this event showcases—at one time—in one place.

It’s this broader scope of work not typically found at a Western art show that make this event so unique. “We have artists stretching beyond traditional Western art to embrace the West’s unique lifestyle and spirit,” says Museum Executive Director, Sandra Harris.

Cowgirl Up! Patron Package all-inclusive opening weekend tickets are $275 per person for all Friday, Saturday and Sunday events; individual event tickets are also available. Tickets for the opening weekend “Bash ‘n Bid” sale and dinner only are $175 per person and include buyer’s ballot book.  Tickets to the Chuck Wagon Breakfast, Artists’ Quick Draw and live auction on Sunday, March 20 are $30 each.  A month-long exhibition and sale follow Cowgirl Up!’s opening weekend, running through May 8.  The show is open to the public with general museum admission and unsold artwork will be available for purchase.

For reservations and more information, call the Museum at (928) 684-2272 or logon to westernmuseum.org.

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About the Museum

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum, recently named “2007-2008 Western Museum of the Year,” is also known as Arizona’s Most Western Museum. Serving over 55,000 visitors a year, it preserves and exhibits the art and history of the Southwest and the desert frontier, and is well-known for its innovative programming.  The Museum features an extraordinary collection including western and American Indian art, along with the Hays’ Spirit of the Cowboy Collection, one of the most comprehensive collections of western artifacts on display in the country.  Its entire lower level is devoted to a re-creation of life in Late Territorial Wickenburg and to a fascinating, permanent exhibit called Out on the Ranch.  The museum is located at 21 N. Frontier Street in Wickenburg, Arizona.  For information, call 928-684-2272, or visit www.westernmuseum.org.

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