WINNEMUCCA - Labor Day weekend, more than two decades of Western artists and craftsmen, cowboy poets and quick-draw sketchers will gather to pay tribute to the Western Art Roundup.
The annual show will celebrate its 31st anniversary from Friday, Aug. 30, through Sunday, Sept. 1, at the East Hall of the Winnemucca Convention Center.
The show has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1983. Founder Carl Hammond said just 12 Western artists were featured that year. Still, the Roundup received rave reviews and was featured in "Art West" magazine.
Since that time, the show has grown, not only in artist participation, but in the quality of art it produces-art that has ranged from braiding and bit and spur making to custom saddlery, the horsehair arts and custom boot making.
This year alone, the show will feature hundreds of original art works by juried artists and craftsmen from across the United States.
The 31st annual Roundup will open at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, with a "meet the artist and craftsmen get-together." The afternoon will feature country music as well as poetry readings. No-host cocktails will follow 5 p.m. with an awards banquet at 6 p.m.
A juried art panel will honor those artists who best depict the authentic buckaroo life. The highlight of the evening will be the bestowal of the coveted Roundup Award, reserved for the best artwork of buckaroo heritage in two categories. The prize is a handcrafted pair of silver-mounted spurs.
The Snaffle Bit Award goes to the runner-up of the buckaroo heritage artwork and the Will James
Award goes to that artist who renders the most high-spirited drawing. In addition, gold, silver and bronze awards will be offered in nine categories as well as other awards for Indian, Pioneer and Southwest ranch heritage art. The public is invited to attend.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, the Western Art Roundup officially opens. On display will be a fantastic array of paintings and other artwork depicting the buckaroos, pioneers and Native Americans who settled the West. Plus, artist demonstrations and cowboy poetry will be staged throughout the day.
At noon, inductees into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame will be honored. The now-annual ceremony will commemorate the lives of those local cowboys who worked this land from the late 1800s into the 1900s. Hammond, along with other Western Art Roundup organizers, decided to add the permanent museum-type display in 1988. Since 1990, well over 50 legends have been honored.
Following the induction, a "Quick Draw" contest will get underway at 3 p.m., followed by a wine tasting. The contest gives participating artists a time limit to "quick draw" complete works of art.
At 4:30 p.m., the annual "Western Art Roundup Auction" will see all those quick draw pieces auctioned off-from horse gear and raw hide ropes to paintings, sculptures and more. Sunday, the show will continue at a much more relaxed pace from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Western Art Roundup show is free to the public; donations are gladly accepted at the door. Friday evening's annual banquet also is open to the public. Please RSVP by Tuesday, Aug. 27.
For more information, contact Carl Hammond at (541) 573-2921 or via email at buckarooartist@yahoo.com.[[In-content Ad]]
