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Trappings of the American West

Flagstaff, Arizona

Exhibit & Related Events: MAY 28 - JUNE 20
Opening Weekend/ Memorial Day Festivities: May 28 - May 30

Explore the fascinating world of the American cowboy at the 15th annual Trappings of the American West Exhibition, May 28th - June 20th, 2004 at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff. The three-week festival offers a newly expanded schedule of events in addition to an invitational, juried exhibit and traditional Opening Weekend festivities.  Presented by the Dry Creek Arts Fellowship, Trappings is a signature, destination event for Flagstaff and the entire Southwest region.

Trappings is an exhibit of the finest Western American art and cowboy gear.  Featuring one-of-a-kind saddles, braided rawhide and hitched horsehair, bits and spurs, boots, hats, knives, paintings, photography and bronze sculpture, Trappings has received numerous prestigious honors and awards.  Most recently, the Smithsonian Institution initiated discussions with the Dry Creek Arts Fellowship to present a Trappings exhibit at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. Built in 1860 as Washington's first art museum, the Renwick collects, preserves and exhibits the finest work in American craft and design.

The Coconino Center for the Arts features a 4,000 square foot gallery and 200-seat amphitheater. The Trappings exhibit is complemented each weekend by a variety of events throughout the Center.  In partnership with the Flagstaff Children's Museum, there is also a fun and educational children's gallery brimming with imagination. Opening weekend, May 28 - 30, features a gala Opening Night reception, artist workshops and demonstrations, as well as a dinner and concert.  On June 4 & 5, the Fellowship will host a tw0-day Land Stewardship Forum discussing rural community values and land stewardship issues facing the West today.

During the weekend of June 5 & June 6, festival goers can learn Survival Skills of the Past such as blacksmithing, sheep shearing and camp cooking from the rugged folk of the Arizona Historical Society. On June 11, visitors are welcome to attend an afternoon
panel discussion and film presentation: Trappings of a Horse Culture. During the third weekend, June 12 & 13, music fills the air as the 3rd Annual Flagstaff Folk Music Festival presents an impressive 2-day line-up of performers in the gallery, amphitheater and outdoors under the pines. The grand finale weekend, June 18 - 20, features the 24th annual Flagstaff Pine Country Pro Rodeo, (offsite at Fort Tuthill). The award winning Del McCoury Band will perform at the Orpheum Theatre, Friday June 18.

A one-time admission fee to the Trappings exhibit is $3 for adults, $2 for students & seniors, $1 for children.  Many special events are free with admission; some are nominally priced. The full schedule of festival events will be updated online at www.drycreekarts.com.

The Dry Creek Arts Fellowship is an educational and charitable non-profit organization that provides a base of support for the preservation and future development of Western American Art.

Most events take place at the Coconino Center for the Arts, or on the pine shaded grounds between the Center and the Pioneer Museum of the Arizona Historical Society.  The Center is two miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Hwy. 180; 70 miles south of the Grand Canyon National Park.

The Coconino Center for the Arts is handicap-accessible. Parking for cars and buses is free. For more information on the Trappings exhibit and festival, please call the Dry Creek Arts Fellowship at (928) 774-8861. For accommodations in Flagstaff, please call the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 217-7293.

Edited by Dave Shultz

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