National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Contact: Catherine Page-Creppon – Director of PR & Museum Events
E-mail: cpage@nationalcowboymuseum.org
Phone: (405) 478-2250, Ext. 221
Fax: (405) 478-4714

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE											Aug. 16, 2011

National Cowboy Museum to Host Exhibit of Santa Fe Artist


OKLAHOMA CITY—The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is pleased to host
an exhibit by Santa Fe Artist Craig Varjabedian titled Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby. The
exhibit will open on Friday, Sept. 23 at 4:30 p.m. with a reception followed by a book signing at 6:30
p.m. The reception is free and open to the public and the works will on display through Jan. 8, 2012.
At the heart of the Northern New Mexico’s legendary Ghost Ranch, known as the longtime home of
the 20th-century painter Georgia O’Keeffe, Varjabedian has captured the beauty and mystique of the
thousands of acres in his black and white photography exhibit.

“You look across the valleys and you understand why O’Keeffe needed to be there. It’s so powerful,”
said Varjabedian. “I had been visiting Ghost Ranch for at least 10 years before I was able to start
making photographs that were more than pretty pictures. When I took the photograph of Cerro
Pedernal No. 2, I knew something had changed. The switch was on and the work came fast and
furious for seven years. Then it shut off – all of the sudden the pictures just weren’t there anymore,
and I knew I was done.”

This traveling exhibition of images taken at Ghost Ranch over a period of several years reaches
beyond the familiar ideas associated with the place – into the artist’s unique vision of his subject’s
relationship to the surrounding earth and its inhabitants.

Varjabedian is widely acclaimed for his images capturing the American West, taken over a
photographic career of more than 35 years. An in-depth look into his artist perspective can be found
in his companion book to the exhibition, Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby.
Several other events are planned throughout the exhibit, including a photography workshop
Oct. 14-16, 2011. For more information please visit www.nationalcowboymuseum.org or call
(405) 478-2250, Ext. 219. Visit the artist’s website at www.craigvarjabedian.com

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Editor's Note: For high-resolution images related to the National Cowboy Museum or this event, visit
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or contact the photographer's studio at (505)983-2934 or cindylane@eloquentlight.com