Fifty years ago an idea took shape around a campfire in Mexico on a cold November night. Surrounded by cows and horses, three Arizona cowboys talked about the bond they shared: an unusual pairing of art and cowboy life.
When home in Sedona, Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye and Johnny Hampton invited George Phippen out for a beer at the Oak Creek Tavern (now the Cowboy Club in Uptown Sedona) to explore their idea. A new organization was founded that night with the intent to preserve the authentic life of the West through their art. It was the beginning of Cowboy Artists of America (CAA). At the time, the founders had no idea how significant their decision would be. Today, members of the Cowboy Artists of America are recognized worldwide as the premier artists of the western genre whose work has become the standard against which others are judged.
The Sedona Arts Center is celebrating the founding of Cowboy Artists of America with a special exhibition, “The 50-Year Roundup,” for a limited engagement July 18–August 2, 2015. An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Meet some of CAA’s member artists at this reception in Sedona Arts Center’s Main Gallery in Uptown Sedona —a great opportunity to mingle with artists, art lovers and art collectors. This reception is free and open to the public.
A second free reception leads up to National Day of the Cowboy on Friday, July 24, 2015, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Sedona Arts Center’s Main Gallery. Refreshments will be catered by the Cowboy Club with entertainment by Ken and Lyn Mikell of Harpy Trails and the Red Rock Posse
This special exhibition features artworks by CAA artists past and present:
Wayne Baize, Joe Beeler, John Clymer, John Coleman, Charlie Dye, Loren Entz, Fred Fellows, Bruce Greene, Martin Grelle, David Halbach, John Hampton, Orland Joe, Harvey Johnson, Mehl Lawson, Tom Lovell, Frank McCarthy, Bill Nebeker, Jim Norton, Bill Owen, George Phippen, Frank Polk, Dave Powell, Clark Price, Ron Riddick, Ken Riley, James Reynolds, Jason Scull, Gordon Snidow, Ray Swanson, Howard Terpning, and Melvin Warren.
The artwork in this exceptional show is on loan from The Eddie Basha Collection, the private collections of Duane and Beverly Miller, the Phippen and Beeler families, Jeff and Susan Dolan, Joan and Wayne Roberts, and a number of collectors who wish to remain anonymous. The exhibition is supported by the City of Sedona and The Cowboy Club.
The artwork in this exceptional show is on loan from The Eddie Basha Collection, the private collections of Duane and Beverly Miller, the Phippen and Beeler families, Jeff and Susan Dolan, Joan and Wayne Roberts, and a number of collectors who wish to remain anonymous. The exhibition is supported by the City of Sedona and The Cowboy Club.
Then join the Uptown community as it celebrates National Day of the Cowboy, July 24-26, from “high noon” into the evenings when there will be “lots of cowboy doin’s goin’ on.” Sedona’s Celebration of National Day of the Cowboy is a free community event presented by Sedona Main Street Program and Red Rock Posse. It is the city’s 11th Annual National Day of the Cowboy Celebration, and this year it includes the Cowboy Artists of America 50th anniversary exhibition at the Sedona Arts Center.
Sedona Arts Center’s Fine Art Gallery is located at Highway 89A and Art Barn Road in Uptown Sedona. The gallery is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with opening receptions every First Friday of the month to introduce that month’s gallery show.
The Sedona Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution dedicated to nurturing creative discovery, learning and sharing through arts education and artistic development. For more information call 928-282-3865 or visit SedonaArtsCenter.org.
Kelli Klymenko
