National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Announces 2016 Western Heritage Awards Honorees & Weekend Festivities
Event honors those whose life and works in literature, music, film, and television reflect
significant stories of the American West
OKLAHOMA CITY – The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will host the annual Western Heritage Awards April 15 – 16. These prestigious awards celebrate the legacy the great works by those who contribute to the understanding and appreciation of the American West. Hell on Wheels actor Anson Mount will serve as emcee of the event, with Country and Western singer Wynonna Judd as a presenter. Actor Tommy Lee Jones and other noteworthy icons are included in this star-studded awards weekend.
The ceremony celebrates the induction of honorees, selected by the Museum’s Board of Directors, into the prestigious Hall of Great Westerners and the Hall of Great Western Performers. The recipient of the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award, named in honor of the Museum’s founder, is presented to an individual who embodies the Western lifestyle.
“This special evening represents the highest echelon for Western songwriters, authors, entertainers, artists, and promoters of the West” said Museum President and CEO Steven Karr. “Each honoree espouses elements that embody the Western character, helping to make the region so dynamic and part of our national and, in fact, continental character.”
The full list of 2016 inductees and honorees includes:
Hall of Great Westerners Inductees
· George Lane (1856 – 1925)
· Enrique E. Guerra (1929 – 2016)
Hall of Great Western Performers Inductees
· Tommy Lee Jones
· Bob Steele (1907 – 1988)
· Lee Marvin (1924 – 1987)
Chester A. Reynolds Award Recipient – Rusty Richards
Film & Television Awards
· Television Feature Film – Texas Rising, A+E Studios, ITV Studios America, and Thinkfactory Media
· Fictional Drama – Hell on Wheels, Hungry Ghosts, Entertainment One Television, Nomadic Pictures, Endemol, American Movie Classics, Endemol Entertainment UK, and H.O.W. Productions
· Documentary – Unbranded, Fin & Fur Films, LLC and Implement Productions
· Western Lifestyle – Red Steagall is Somewhere West of Wall Street, Thunderhead Productions
Literary Awards
· Western Novel – Endangered: A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. Box
· Nonfiction Book – The Western Cattle Trail by Gary and Margaret Kraisinger
· Art Book – Painted Journeys by Peter H. Hassrick and Mindy N. Besaw
· Photography Book – Laguna Pueblo by Lee Marmon and Tom Corbett
· Juvenile Book – Texas Tales Illustrated: The Trail Drives by Mike Kearby
· Magazine Article – Finding the American West in Twenty-First Century Italy by Renee M. Laegreid
· Poetry Book – Woe to the Land Shadowing by Red Shuttleworth
Music Awards
· Original Western Composition – Ride a Wide Circle by Mary Kaye
· Traditional Western Album – Singing Songs by Waddie & Pipp by Waddie Mitchell and Pipp Gillette
Each award winner and inductee receives the Wrangler, a bronze statue of a modern cowboy on horseback, created by noted Western artist Harold T. “H” Holden.
The weekend begins with a star-studded reception at the Museum on Friday, April 15, 5:30 p.m. and the Western Heritage Awards black-tie dinner and ceremony on Saturday, April 16, 5:00 p.m. The events are open to the public by reservation, with ticket discounts available to Museum members. To learn more and make reservations to attend the Western Heritage Awards, visit www.nationalcowboymuseum.org or call (405) 478-2250, ext. 219.
To enhance the weekend, a special exhibit and Navajo rug silent auction and sale will also take place on Saturday, April 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors can also view breathtaking Navajo weavings in the exhibit Revision: Contemporary Navajo Weavings from the Pam Parrish Collection. Third-generation trader Jackson Clark II, owner of the respected Toh-Atin Gallery, in Durango, CO, will showcase more than 100 dazzling colors, patterns, and artistry in contemporary and vintage weavings ranging in value from $100 to $10,000.
Advanced registration is not required. Participation in the silent auction and special exhibition is free with day-of registration at the door. A full schedule of events can be found at www.nationalcowboymuseum.org.
“This will be an exciting weekend where we honor great Westerners’ accomplishments and also celebrate the beauty and fine traditions of Navajo weavings,” said Karr. “Visitors can experience and enjoy Western heritage, and the West of today, in a host of different and meaningful ways.”