Cowboy Artists of America Museum
Kerrville, Texas
830-896-2553
The Cowboy Artists of America Museum "Where the Legend Lives"
by Diana Comer
William Moyers, Wind and Rain
Like all worthwhile things, the cowboy Artists of America Museum, in Kerrville, Texas, began with a great idea. A group of Texas businessmen had appreciated and collected contemporary Western art for years. They realized, however, that the majority of such art was going into private collections and would never be seen and enjoyed by the general public.
They envisioned a Iocation where everyone could have access to the legend of the American West, through great Western art. This facility would serve as a public showplace for the artwork being produced by today's finest contemporary Western artists. In this way, the tradition of the old Western masters like Russell and Remington, would live on. Enlisting the help of others, they drafted formal plans and began to collect pledges and commitments to the project.
Next, they approached a group of Western artists known as the Cowboy Artists of America. They had come to the right place. These artists, many of whom had actually been cowboys before they became artists, had plenty of "horse sense." They knew a good idea when they heard one and agreed to support the museum through the display of their works. The rest as they say, is history.
It was April 23, 1983 when the museum first opened its doors. Since then, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world have benefited from the opportunity to enjoy the artwork that brings Western history to life.
Sitting on ten beautiful acres in the Texas Hill Country, the museum is a work of art in its own right. Like a fortressed hacienda, the exterior features heavy timbers and stacked stone retaining walls. Inside, boveda domes and endcut mesquite floors richly complement the Western images in paintings and sculpture.
And through the art, those who lived in the past, speak to us today. The traditional hardworking cowboy reminds us to earn our own keep. The Plains Indian tells of freedom. The determination of the settlers and mountain men teaches us to endure. These ideals and values are captured and reflected in the artwork on display at the Cowboy Artists of America Museum - "Where the Legend Lives!"
Fred Fellows, An Honest Days Work
Cowboy Artists of America Museum is located at 1550 Bandera Highway, Kerrville, TX 78028
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