HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (September 8, 2021) – The Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center (MACC) gets back into the saddle again this fall with a breathtaking new exhibition of Western art. The exhibit, titled The Lyrical Cowboy: Rhythms, Rhymes and Rodeos, will run Sept. 12 to Oct. 24 and will feature familiar country music song lyrics grouped with nearly 50 of the most spectacular paintings, watercolors, statues and mixed media works from the renowned Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. Some of artist Maria D’Souza’s strikingly original beaded-skull artworks will round out the exhibition.
“The MACC is incredibly honored to be presenting Lyrical Cowboy, especially since the Booth Western Art Museum created this show specifically for our museum,” says Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director and CEO. “Cowboys and country music go together like guitars and Cadillacs. So, we can’t think of a better place for this show to debut.”
The idea for Lyrical Cowboy originated with the show’s curator, Seth Hopkins, the long-time executive director of the Booth Western Art Museum. “I have been thinking about the relationship between country music and the American cowboy for a long time,” says Hopkins. “The word ‘cowboy’ used to be a derogatory term, but over the course of the past century the cowboy became a celebrated figure, in large part because of country music. That inspired me to pair some of my favorite country music lyrics with some of the finest examples of cowboy art from the Booth’s permanent collection.”
Works by such noted Western artists as Nelson Boren, Buck Jones, Dallas Anderson, Ezra Tucker, J.E. Knauf and Carrie Ballantyne will be on exhibit, with the lyrics of Garth Brooks, George Strait, Dan Seals, Willie Nelson, Suzy Bogus and others complementing (and providing insight into) the visual displays.
Hopkins notes that Lyrical Cowboy is not necessarily your grandfather’s Western art exhibit. “It’s not just white guys with white hats on white horses,” he says. Indeed, Lyrical Cowboy is remarkable for its diversity, with images of cowgirls and cowboys of color occupying a central part of the exhibition’s narrative.
Artist Maria D’Souza’s singular creations are now included in the permanent collections of both the Booth Western Art Museum and Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center. D’Souza uses semi-precious cabochons, seed beads, hand-tooled silver and leather, patina copper, and other material to transform the skulls of elk, antelope, pronghorn and deer into colorful and intensely expressive works of art. D’Souza will have 10 of her unique works on display at the MACC.
The Booth Western Art Museum, located in Cartersville, Georgia just outside Atlanta, is the world’s largest permanent exhibition space for Western art. At 120,000 square feet, the Booth is an architectural wonder – designed to resemble a modern pueblo and constructed from Bulgarian limestone. The museum’s permanent collection of Western art, Presidential portraits and letters, and Civil War art allows visitors to “See America’s Story” – the land, people, struggles, dreams, and legends – in paintings, sculpture, photography and artifacts.
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is conveniently located off Gallatin Pike just three miles east of Rivergate Mall. The place serves as a haven for the arts, hosting major art exhibitions throughout the year. It also offers classes and summer camps on art and film for children and adults. Monthaven Mansion is available to rent for weddings, receptions, showers, corporate team-building classes and private parties. For more information, visit www.monthavenartsandculturalcenter.com or call (615) 822-0789.