At this year’s Trappings of the American West, the Dry Creek Arts Fellowship and the Museum of Northern Arizona are honoring the work of 78 artists from 14 Western states, Hawaii, and Canada, who have been chosen for their outstanding skills of artistic mastery.
Trappings is a contemporary exhibition that combines fine and functional art of the American cowboy and continues through January 6, 2008.
This year’s exhibition also acknowledges the cultural diversity found within worldwide horse cultures. From ancient times to the present, the unified bond of man and horse has allowed civilization to flourish and prosper. The horse is a manifestation of the movement of mankind across the globe over centuries of time. Initially a means of transportation, man on horseback also provided a new freedom that allowed for the expansion of commerce.
Upcoming Programs (included with Museum admission)
Saturday, December 1, noon–2 p.m Riding the Rim
The 7th Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering will feature some of the region’s finest poets to stir up the air—as only cowboys can—with poetry, song, and open range entertainment by Mary Abbott, Sally Bates, Jim Dunham, Phil Ellsworth, Audrey Hankins, Suzie Killman, Nika Norbrock, Frank Rodrigues, and Tom Weathers.
Saturday, December 29, 1–2:30 p.m. Equestrian Culture of the Colorado Plateau
ASU Professor Peter Iverson and MNA Collections Manager Elaine Hughes present an interpretive forum to discuss the use of Navajo, Hopi, and Apache folk toys, saddles, bridles, leather items, and jewelry from MNA’s collections. From a silver and turquoise embellished saddle ridden by former Navajo Chairman Peter Macdonald to hand-braided quirts, these toys and tools of the trade provide insight into the horse culture of northern Arizona.
Saturday, January 5, 1–2:30 p.m. History of the Hashknife Colt
Billy Cordasco from Flagstaff’s Babbitt Ranches shares what it takes to be a successful horse breeder in the twenty-first century and tells the story of the Hashknife Colt’s development. Sought after around the world as an award-winning, sturdy, sure-footed companion, the Hashknife Colt’s solid bloodlines are recognized by the American Quarter Horse Association.