This week, Madison is joined by National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Director of Research and Education, Bethany Dodson and Information Literacy Librarian and Professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Jason Vance to discuss 2024 Cowgirl Honoree, The Pack Horse Library Project.

The Pack Horse Library Project ran from 1936 to 1943, with librarians on horseback traveling 10,000 square miles of rugged eastern Kentucky to provide reading materials to isolated families, some of the hardest hit by the Great Depression. The WPA “book women” rode out at least twice a month, in all kinds of weather, with each route covering 100 to 120 miles a week. At its height, the program helped serve almost 100,000 people. By the time the Pack Horse Library Project ended in 1943, it had made a lasting impact on the people of rural Appalachia.

To learn more about The Pack Horse Library Project, click here: https://www.cowgirl.net/portfolios/thepackhorselibraryproject/

Visit the Cowgirl Museum online at www.cowgirl.net, on social media @cowgirlmuseum, and in person at 1720 Gendy Street in Fort Worth, Texas.

This week, Madison talks with 17-time world champion and 2024 Cowgirl Honoree, JJ Hampton. In this exclusive interview, we learn about little girls who dressed as JJ for Halloween, the story behind her signature purple hat, and her hopes for the future of breakaway roping. JJ dubs her induction into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame “the honor of all honors” and shares how she hopes the legacy of her induction will inspire future generations of her family.

Keep up with JJ Hampton on Instagram @jjhampton18x and jjhampton.com.

Follow the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame on social media @cowgirlmuseum and visit cowgirl.net.

This week, listen to Madison's exclusive interview with 2024 Cowgirl Honoree, Beth Cross, the Co-Founder and CEO of Ariat International. Beth shares her unconventional career path from working as a cook on a salmon processing boat in Alaska to becoming CEO of an international western apparel brand, and at what point she and her team knew they had created something really special with Ariat performance boots. Beth reveals Ariat's namesake, the company values that have contributed to over 30 years of success, and a quote that inspires her to take every setback as an opportunity: "I'm either winning or I'm learning."

Connect with Ariat on social media @ariatinternational and visit ariat.com.

Be sure to follow the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame @cowgirlmuseum and rate and review Conversations at the Cowgirl.

Welcome to Season 3 of Conversations at the Cowgirl! This season, host Madison Ward sits down with each of the 2024 Cowgirl Honorees and Special Award Winners. First up is Kaila Mussell- the first woman to become a professional saddle bronc rider since the formation of the PRCA in 1993. Tune in as Kaila discusses the mechanics of bronc riding as a woman, 101 Ways to Break Your Neck by Frank E. Dean (which Kaila dubs “the best book ever”), and her experiences opening up about her mental health. Kaila Mussell possesses incredible talent horseback and outside the arena, and we are honored to welcome her into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame!

Connect with Kaila on social media @KailaMussell and follow the National Cowgirl Museum @cowgirlmuseum. 

*Content warning: mild language

In this season's final episode, host Madison Ward takes us behind-the-scenes in a conversation with the Museum's Associate Executive Director of Exhibits and Education, Dr. Diana Vela and Curator of Collections, Ashley Kowalski.

Diana and Ashley share highlights and challenges they experienced in the creation of this exhibition and explain how Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras is different from any exhibition they have created before.

Join host Madison Ward as she sits with award winning artist and 2023 Cowgirl Honoree, Gladys Roldan-de-Moras to discuss her career painting scenes of escaramuzas and charreria. Roldan-de-Moras shares her inspiring story of following her passion for art and her Mexican heritage and the impact it has made on her life. She also explains her processes when painting the colorful vestidos worn by the escaramuzas and the capturing movement of the dangerous sport. 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to visit the Museum’s newest exhibition, Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras, on display until December 31, 2024. Learn more at www.cowgirl.net. 

Follow the National Cowgirl Museum on Instagram: @cowgirlmuseum and Facebook: @NCMHOF.

This week, host Madison Ward sits down for a conversation with the creators of Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home: photographer Constance Jaeggi, poets ire'ne lara silva and Angelina Saenz, and Dr. Marcela Fuentes.

This project combines original portraiture and ekphrastic poetry to delve into themes of family, identity, and gender within the escaramuza community. The exhibit will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog that can be purchased in the Museum gift shop.

Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home is currently on display at the National Cowgirl Museum as part of the newest exhibition Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras. For more information, visit www.cowgirl.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NCMHOF

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowgirlmuseum/

This week, join photographer Constance Jaeggi as she discusses her experience researching, shooting, and crafting the series of portraits, Escaramuza, The Poetics of Home.

View Constance's work at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas as part of the new exhibition, Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras

Jaeggi has studied at the New York Film Academy and most recently completed a Master of Art History and Art World Practice at Christie’s in London. Her work has been internationally exhibited and published. In 2021, she was shortlisted for the Critical Mass Awards and has been published notably by The Guardian and The Washington Post.

The exhibition of photography by Constance Jaeggi was commissioned specifically for Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras at the Cowgirl Museum. Jaeggi has studied at the New York Film Academy and most recently completed a Master of Art History and Art World Practice at Christie’s in London. Her work has been internationally exhibited and published notably by The Guardian and The Washington Post.

The principal investigator, researcher, and curator in collaboration with Constance Jaeggi is Diana Vela, Ph.D, Associate Executive Director of Exhibits and Education at the National Cowgirl Museum. Her tie to the subject is organic with ancestors being recipients of a Spanish land grant, Laguna Seca in the Rio Grande Valley. 

Join Diana and Constance as they sit down with host Madison Ward to discuss their partnership in researching and creating the exhibition and the aspects that set it apart from any project either of them have done before.

Paola Pimienta, Ambassador of the U.S. Coordination of Charrería and Reina Nacional, has been an invaluable resource to the Museum during the creation of the new exhibition, Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras. 

Join Paola as she sits down with host Madison Ward to reflect on her time serving as Ambassador and Queen and discusses how charrería has shaped her life.