Come see the exhibit COWGIRLS: Contemporary Portraits of the American West now showing through August 16th in the Red Cloud Opera House Gallery. Sponsored by the Nebraska Humanities Council.

Toured by Exhibits USA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, this exhibit reveals the complex, unglamorous--yet often inspiring--reality of women in the modern west. 

Photographer Ronnie Farley spent three years documenting the lives of two very different kinds of cowgirls: women ranchers and rodeo contestants. From the high country of Wyoming to the national Professional Women's Rodeo circuit, the resulting black-and-white images capture the everyday reality and resolute strength of the women who call these settings home.

The accompanying text is equally compelling. As Farley writes, “Through every story runs a common thread of hardship, determination, and independence.” Whether a bull rider, calf roper, or rancher, each subject displays resiliency in the face of injuries, isolation, natural disasters, alcoholism, and industrial expansion, accepting challenges and misfortune, “with equal grace and reserve.”

COWGIRLS features 30 photographs accompanied by narrative quotes that explore the daily challenges, professional triumphs, and personal tenacity shared by the women who run cattle or ride broncs and bulls. From the competitive grit of the rodeo circuit and the exhausting demands of cattle ranching to the intimate bond they share with their animals, modern cowgirls call to mind the independence, fortitude, and incomparable vigor demonstrated by women who endured the hardships and challenges of life on the American frontier.

Sponsored by the Nebraska Humanities Coucil as part of a Major Grant entitled "Happiness."