It was founded in 1965 by four prominent western artists, Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye, John Hampton and George Phippen, who have all since died.
Since its inception, the exclusive organization of artists has always been dedicated to portraying the lifestyles of the cowboy and the American West, both as it was and as it endures.
In April 2011, the museum announced that it would no longer host the event.
As an example, Howard Terpning's Cooling Off the Hard Way sold for $305,000 at the 2003 Santa Fe Art Auction.
This article about a United States arts organization is a stub.