One of North Georgia’s most popular family day trips is returning this fall. The Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, just 30 minutes north of the Atlanta perimeter, brings back one of its most popular events, the Cowboy Festival & Symposium on Friday October 22 and Saturday, October 23, 2021. The festival portion of the event takes place Saturday from 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. and features fun favorites including trick and fancy roping demonstrations, Native American culture and dancing, reenactments of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and more. And of course, visitors wearing their Western best—old and young—are always welcomed and encouraged.
Chuck wagons, the original “food trucks,” will be on hand to provide a Taste of the West. Food available for purchase may include pot roast, beef tips, beef stew, beans, potatoes, biscuits, breads and cobbler. Wagons from Etowah Cattle Company, Forest Manna and Rocking TP have signed up to date.
Grownups can extend the fun into the evening. An adults-only event, “What’s Brewing at the Booth?” is a separate outdoor, ticketed event from 6:30–9 p.m., Saturday, on the North Lawn of the Museum. The festivities include beer tastings by Drowned Valley Brewery, chicken and pork barbecue and sides, along with live music.
For those who want a deeper dive into the art and artists of the West, the annual art history Symposium is sure to please. The story of how artists help create and protect our national parks will be the theme this year. Happening from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Museum’s Bergman Theatre on Friday, October 22, the event will include four informative sessions. Talks will include the “Undiscovered Waterfalls of Yellowstone” with artist M.C. Poulsen, “Forever Glacier” with artist Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey and much more. Both artists will open exhibitions on these themes at the Booth during the same weekend.
Museum galleries will be open during the Symposium and Festival. For ticket prices and additional details, please visit BoothMuseum.org/festival.
Upcoming and current exhibits in descending chronological order starting from October, 2021:
“Waterfalls in Yellowstone: M.C. Poulsen” and “Mammals in Glacier: Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey”
October 21, 2021-February 27, 2022
Artist M.C. Poulsen’s has been on a multiyear journey on foot and horseback into the Yellowstone National Park backcountry to capture the waterfalls that the general public never experiences. Until now, his extraordinary story and the works he created were only widely seen in “Painting the Falls of Yellowstone,” a 2017 PBS documentary. Artistically, Poulsen is following in the footsteps of famous pioneer artists Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt whose works helped convince Congress to make Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks.
Equally impressive and complementing the Yellowstone exhibition is Nancy Cawdrey’s “Mammals in Glacier.” This unique body of work is the heart of a major traveling exhibition inspiring a special connection with Glacier National Park. The exhibit includes 25 paintings plus a fun, educational component developed to encourage viewers to interact in various ways with the exhibit and give those who may never have a chance to visit in person as much of the Glacier experience as possible.
“Tucker Smith: A Celebration of Nature”
September 11, 2021-January 2, 2022
Tucker Smith is nationally renowned for his balanced, subtle paintings inspired by living on the Hoback Rim in Western Wyoming. More than 40 original oils spanning his career include Western wildlife, locomotives, camp and cowboy scenes and stunning landscapes. Organized by the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; guest-curated by Director B. Byron Price, Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of Art of the American West, University of Oklahoma.
“Captivated–Rossin’s Southwest & Beyond”
Through September 26, 2021
One of the world’s leading portrait artists, Ross Rossin’s impressive resume includes four major paintings in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. He has also created depictions of seven legendary activists displayed at Atlanta’s Center for Human and Civil Rights, poet Maya Angelou for a U.S. Postage stamp and his “Commanders in Chief Mural Project” is on semi-permanent display at the Booth. Growing up watching Western movies in his native Bulgaria, Rossin dreamed of coming to the American West–a “dream road trip” inspired this series of hyper-realistic, mesmerizing portrayals.
“Graham Hobart: Out of Africa and Into the West”
July 31, 2021-January 23, 2022
A digital infrared photography pioneer, Graham Hobart grew up in what is now known as Zimbabwe, experiencing the continent’s diverse peoples and exotic animals and exploring some of the last places where animals could roam free. As a child, he was also fascinated by prints and pen and ink drawings of animals and landscapes. Utilizing infrared technology to highlight patterns and textures, his artistic techniques communicate what he sees into something seemingly in-between a photograph and a drawing. At Booth Executive Director Seth Hopkins’ urging, he has also captured the American West in his unique illustrative style, and this exhibit features works from journeys across two continents.
For additional exhibit information, please visit Boothmuseum.org/exhibitions
Plan your visit
Cartersville, Georgia, just 30 minutes north of the Atlanta perimeter on I-75, is by far the smallest city in America with two Smithsonian Affiliate Museums; the Booth Western Art Museum and the Tellus Science Museum. Cartersville offers cosmopolitan amenities with the parking, accessibility and charm of a small town. The beautifully restored historic downtown is a destination experience. Within easy walking distance of the Booth are antique shops, galleries and boutiques. Along with the Museum Café, area dining options include innovative cuisine, funky diners and everything in between.
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