Booth Western Art Museum — Attraction in Cartersville

A wonderful afternoon listening to a country (?) songwriter session with some love music and back story. I had no idea who any of them were but the crowd seemed thrilled and it was an enjoyable experience even for someone who doesn't listen to country music.

Afterwards our group toured the museum itself and were pleasantly surprised. Expectations were exceedingly low because of the geographic location of the museum and it purported speciality of Murican Southwest art. But they were greatly exceeded and this museum could have been located in New Mexico just as easily. Great place to stop.

The main level had pretty standard traditional SW paintings. It was alright. Some good works. Saw a few crazy horse faces.

The downstairs wasn't well marked but it was showcasing a local school(s) exhibit and some of the pieces were wonderful. The formal cats (picture attached) being a highlight of the entire museum. Whoever you are kid, keep up the good work.

The upstairs was really the highlight. Much more modern and various styles of art. The sculptures were old school to crazy. Especially enjoyed the totem with chickens on their heads. The large map of first nations throughout North America was an excellent piece and I hadn't seen it put so well before. The scale and detail made it much easier to recognize the natural and political boundaries of the tribes. It's unfortunate that it is tucked away in the corner behind some clothes pieces as in my opinion it lays the foundation for the entire area in terms of what to expect. Much more expressioned art upstairs and a few more crazy horse faces.

There was a very strange room with Murican presidents painted in a group portrait that was... creepy. I got the jist of what was being went for but it was just weird and not very true to photograph for many of the faces. Apparently it's a working space according to the sign and is incomplete. So perhaps the non-representitve features will be fixed at a later date.

Overall, very excellent experience and hope to be back. There's a supercharger less than 20mins away at...

Free parking. Sculpture garden right at the entrance. Wonderful staff. In the heart of downtown Cartersville,GA—plenty of dining and shopping and events for after the museum. (I previously reviewed the 8 Track restaurant in Cartersville.) Now for the import stuff. The exits are gorgeous and represent both the mythical old west and the reality. Every room has sculptures to ponder or a stagecoach to marvel. The photography room had interesting exhibits of women (photographed by women) and even a collection of biker photos. The biker photos are obviously from the 50s and 60s, although some are more modern. There is a delightful area of sculptures inside depicting everything from a whimsical cowboy to a “painted” horse. You can find examples of boots, moccasins, and headdresses. The exhibits are both educational and thought provoking. I was pleased at the sophisticatedly curated collection. I was fortunate to visit when the western movie exhibit was up. I got to see hats worn by actors as well as movie posters and even costumes. I was able to marvel at a handmade dress once belonging to legendary singer, patsy Cline and the dress worn by Jessica Lange in the biopic. Liz Taylor’s dress from Giant was on display, as well as Robert Redford and Mel Gibson’s jacket from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and also Maverick, respectively. This was a temporary exhibit. How much longer it will remain, I do not know. I understand that they also have visiting artists and an area for children. (I did not visit the children’s area.) The gift shop is well stocked with interesting souvenirs. Admission was reasonable. One adult and one senior was $30.00. We were there two hours, but could have stayed longer. Unfortunately we didn’t give ourselves quite enough time. Overall, I think this is worth a...

We first visited about a decade earlier and enjoyed it enough to recommend it to our sons and their families. About 3 years ago, one family with two teens finally visited, but were as unimpressed as were we when we visited yesterday (7/19/2020).

I have never considered my artistic 'appreciation and sensitivities' to be of significance. However, reading a quote by one of the featured artists, Robert Henri, painted on an upstairs wall of the museum, “The man who has honesty, integrity, the love of inquiry, the desire to see beyond, is ready to appreciate good art.” made me reevaluate what I had been viewing and was currently viewing.

Abandoning my hitherto passive role, I began evaluating both previously viewed exhibits first floor exhibits and those on the second floor for emotional impact, perspective, uniqueness, insight, historical verity, use of color, lack of realism, detail, etc., anything that would set it apart from a freshman art class product.

A decade earlier, my wife and I enjoyed our tour of the museum, which is why we had recommended it. This trip, with the revisions to the what and how exhibits were presented, my impression is the museum moved from being an enjoyable tour of history to that of a artsy collection of mediocre art. I fully understand the lack of appreciation by our teenage grandkids.

Remembering the museum from a...