New exhibit at Scottsdale’s Museum of the West spotlights ranchers, cowboys

A new exhibit featuring photographs of American ranchers and cowboys by Scott T. Baxter is now open at Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West has announced the opening of The Gather: A Portrait of the American West by Scott T. Baxter, a new exhibition featuring 148 photographs from 1998-2023, chronicling American ranchers and cowboys (men and women) across the American West.

The Gather: A Portrait of the American West will run through July 30 at Western Spirit, according to a press release. The 148 featured photographs will be displayed in various photographic techniques like silver gelatin, platinum/palladium, and archival pigment prints.

“Scott Baxter has a way of capturing the heart and soul of so many modern-day ranchers of the modern American West through the lens of his camera,” said Tricia Loscher, assistant director- collections, exhibitions, and research, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. “All of the images displayed in The Gather celebrate a vibrant way of life and the many unique traditions that continue to this day in the West. We can’t wait to unveil this captivating exhibition.”

Baxter is the author of 100 Years 100 Ranchers, a 10-year official Legacy Project book for the Arizona Centennial that documents 100 long-time families who have been ranching in Arizona since 1912 or earlier. Since spring 2011, 100 Years 100 Ranchers has been shown throughout Arizona from Terminal Four at Sky Harbor to Wickenburg’s Desert Caballeros Western Art Museum and the Tucson Museum of Art.

“I decided to take on these projects because I felt it was important to preserve with photographs the vanishing legacy of ranchers and working cowboys. I chose to work exclusively with monochromatic film because it too has a long, wonderful history,” said Baxter in a prepared statement.

When discussing his process Baxter said, “I have always tried to do something worthwhile with my photography and I believe deeply in these photographic projects. The stories in The Gather are stories worthy of preserving. If you find something you are passionate about, the story will come and I find it always comes out before the photograph is even made. The image is just the end result of the story.”

Western Spirit features regularly changing and permanent exhibits of Western and Native American art and artifacts, entertaining events and informative programs that bring the West’s heritage, culture and community to life.

Go to Scottsdalemuseumwest.org.