February 2nd, 2026
Contact: Edd Kellerman
Executive Director
Phippen Museum
(928) 778-1385
phippen@phippenartmuseum.org
Perched on five beautiful acres of the historic Deep Well Ranch in Arizona’s Central Highlands, the Phippen Museum is framed by sweeping views of the dramatic granite boulder formations of Granite Dells. This striking landscape once served as a filming location for silent Westerns in the 1920s—including productions starring legendary cowboy actor Tom Mix—firmly anchoring the museum within the region’s rich Western heritage.
Serving as a welcoming gateway to Granite Dells, Prescott, and the museum itself, the Phippen stands as a permanent tribute to artist George Phippen—an honor both fitting and deeply deserved. While George would no doubt be humbled and proud of the recognition, he would surely be even more grateful for the unwavering encouragement and devotion of his wife and life partner, Louise. Her steadfast support made his life’s work, and its enduring legacy, possible.
Naming the museum after George Phippen—local artist and first president of the Cowboy Artists of America—was a natural choice. His inspirational character, exceptional artistic talent, and lasting influence on Western art helped define the genre for generations to come. Yet beyond his titles and accolades, George Phippen was, at his core, a born Western artist.
From a very young age, George demonstrated a passion for depicting life in the West. He sketched cattle drives on the chalkboard of his one-room schoolhouse and sculpted livestock from clay gathered along nearby creek banks. Those early expressions of creativity hinted at a lifelong dedication to capturing the spirit of the American West with authenticity and heart.
What endeared George most to others, however, was his keen sense of humor and lighthearted spirit—qualities that infused his artwork and allowed it to transcend the Western genre. His work reflects a universal human experience, revealing humor in hardship and presenting the West as both genuine and relatable. It is this warmth and humanity that continues to resonate with audiences today.
Together with fellow artists Johnny Hampton, Charlie Dye, and Joe Beeler, George co-founded the Cowboy Artists of America to elevate this all-American art form and champion artists committed to portraying the West from an everyman’s perspective. His leadership as the organization’s first president further underscores his importance within the field and his dedication to supporting fellow artists.
George’s life experiences also shaped his work. During the Great Depression, he served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and later was inducted into the U.S. Army during World War II, where he worked as a photographer and cartographer for Coast Artillery. Through it all, his commitment to art never wavered.
At the time of his death in 1966, at the age of fifty, George was completing a sculpture titled Cowboy in a Storm. The complex bronze embodies all the hallmarks of his work—technical accuracy, narrative clarity, and gentle humor. Today, that piece is realized on a monumental scale and stands proudly in the roundabout at the entrance to the Phippen Museum, welcoming visitors just as George himself once welcomed others.
Although George never witnessed the realization of the museum that bears his name, his spirit is woven throughout it. When plans for a Western art museum were first initiated in 1974, it was his friends, family, and fellow artists who rallied public support and raised the funds to bring the vision to life. Through their collective enthusiasm, the community’s generosity, and proceeds from an annual Western Art Show & Sale, the museum opened its doors in 1984.
Since then, the show has grown into a beloved Memorial Day weekend tradition, continuing to support the museum’s mission of preserving and promoting the Art of the American West.
If you’d like to support Prescott’s only fine art museum, visit PhippenArtMuseum.org to donate, become a member or volunteer, or sponsor this May’s 52nd annual Western Art Show & Sale.