New museum shows western spirit in Scottsdale
Jan 15, 2015, 5:12 AM | Updated: 10:30 am
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – It’s a big day Thursday for those who love western art.
The west comes alive in Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, which has its grand opening Thursday near Old Town Scottsdale.
“It’s a museum of the old and the new west,” said Alan DiPerna, the museum’s marketing manager. “The classic cowboy stories we all know from Hollywood films, but also today’s west, with the environmental issues and the diversity of the people who live here.”
There are several exhibit areas in the museum, including:
- 1 .The Scottsdale Charros Gateway Lobby.
- 2. Inspirational Journey: The Story of Lewis and Clark Featuring the Artwork of Charles Fritz
- 3. Pricess and Materiality: The Bronze Artistry of John Coleman with Erik Peterson.
- 4. Fine Art of the American West: People and Places.
- 5. The A.P. Hays Spirit of the West Collection, featuring a selection of saddles, spurs, and other items.
- 6. Will James: Cowboy Artist and Author.
The gallery even has an old Western town movie set.
DiPerna said that the 43,000 square foot, two story museum was the decades long dream of several Scottsdale people.
“The former Mayor of Scottsdale, Herb Drinkwater, was very much behind the project,” said DiPerna. “The founder and director of the project, Mike Fox, has been pushing for this for a long, long time.”
The museum will be open every day except Monday and is located at 3830 West Marshall Way in Scottsdale. More information is available on the Museum of the West website.
