The Museum of Western Art is located in Kerrville, only a short drive from San Antonio, in the heart of the famed Texas Hill Country. This outstanding facility provides the opportunity for one and all to relive the Western heritage through great Western art.

The museum is an architectural work of art in its own right. Its unique design was initiated by distinguished Texas architect O’Neil Ford, renowned for establishing the guiding principles of Southwestern-style architecture. Ford died before the museum was completed, so Chris Carson & Associates finished it.

Featuring heavy timbers and rugged retaining walls of stacked limestone, the building’s exterior resembles a fortressed hacienda. Heroic-sized and life-sized bronzes dot the landscape of the outer grounds. Inside the 14,000-square-foot facility, boveda ceilings give visitors a glimpse of artisan work rarely seen today. Floors of end-cut mesquite wood and Saltillo tile are polished to a warm glow, complementing the Western artwork displayed in the galleries. In 2004 the new Masel S. Quinn Pavilion of the Western Art Academy was completed and made ready for use in the museum’s art education program.

The Museum of Western Art opened April 23, 1983, and was first known as the Cowboy Artists of America Museum. In the years since, hundreds of thousands of visitors have walked the museum galleries and seen the West brought to life through the artwork on display. The hard-working cowboys, Native Americans, women of the West, settlers, mountain men, and others are featured through various themed exhibits. Through other displays, the history of famous ranches and other diverse aspects of our Western heritage are shared with an ever-widening audience. In addition, area educators, students, and writers, as well as the public, make frequent use of the museum’s 5,000-volume Western art and history library.

In preserving and promoting the heritage of the American West, the museum is committed to exhibiting the very finest artwork, including art created by today’s best-known Western artists, as well as that of famous masters of the past. The museum’s goal is to authentically represent the life of the West, in both its historic and contemporary context. This rich cultural heritage is also shared through the display of artifacts from the era and ongoing education programs.

Finally, in all that it does, the museum serves as a bridge between the past and the present, ensuring that the legacy of the American West will be preserved for the future. We invite our guests to be part of that mission. Experience the West as it was and as it is at the Museum of Western Art. . .where the legend lives!

The Museum of Western Art is open Tuesday–Saturday 9–5, and Sunday 1–5. During the summer the museum is also open Monday 9–5. Admission is $1 to $5. The museum is located at 1550 Bandera Hwy, Kerrville, Texas. For more information, please call 830-896-2553 or visit www.museumofwesternart.org

Thanks to The Museum of Western Art and Diana Comer for the article and photo.