Museum Tour
Claiming the Spotlight
Here visitors will find larger-than-life images of stars who have portrayed cowgirls, from matriarchs like Barbara Stanwyck to “Queen of the West” Dale Evans, to the likes of cowgirl singer 
Patsy Montana, the original “Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” This gallery reflects our culture’s collective conscious, containing a multitude of cowgirl images that have appeared in mass media over time. These images have been culled from movie posters, album covers, advertisements, and memorabilia, providing visitors with immediate visual impact.
One of the centerpieces of this gallery is a spectacular, rhinestone encrusted saddle designed by the western designer Nudie Cohn, artfully displayed with select clothing and artifacts that all reflect the glitz and glamour of western style.
Also featured in this gallery is a lavish, old-time theater, replete with heavy velvet drapery and a detailed proscenium that holds the replica of a horse’s head. Playing in the theater is a poignant, yet funny film in which actress Katherine Ross talks about the many roles of Hollywood cowgirls, 
from stunt doubles to damsels in distress, to gun-toting dames. Throughout the piece, at appropriate intervals, the horse interjects some lighthearted banter about the importance of the horse in western film. Visitors can also peruse artifact cases containing memorabilia from Hollywood -- from film stills and lobby cards to a maquette of Jessie, the irrepressible cowgirl from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 2.
Visitors also have the opportunity to “be a star,” 
by posing for their very own movie poster. The visitor selects one of five posters and a digital camera snaps their photo, which is then composited into a poster that is displayed on a large plasma monitor, and can also be printed out and purchased in the Museum’s Gift Shop.
Additional exhibit highlights of Claiming the Spotlight:
- A 1950s-era television that features clips from such popular shows as
“Annie Oakley” and “The Roy Rogers Show,” as well as an exhibit case containing memorabilia from these popular television shows. - Jukeboxes that play a range of country and western tunes, acknowledging the influence of such female troubadors as Patsy Montana, Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, and Reba McEntire.
- Artifact cases containing dime novels (colorful, but stereotypical western yarns of cowgirl adventure) and other forms of popular fiction, as well as a display of advertisements round out the gallery.
