The National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame will close its doors to the public on Monday, Oct. 19, for the final push on its expansion, and when it reopens Nov. 7 the first show in its new Icons Gallery will be the stage wardrobe country singer Miranda Lambert wore during her Las Vegas residency.
The museum announced the exhibition, "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo," on Tuesday. It was created with Lambert, who is a National Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree and competes in mounted shooting, according to the museum's release.
Lambert said the costumes trace back to a visit to the museum itself. After seeing its Western pieces, she said, she sent photos to her stylist, and the two blended that inspiration with Elvis-era style to create the residency wardrobe. Seeing the pieces get "a life beyond the stage" in the new gallery "feels really full circle and special," she said in the release.
Curator Ashley Kowalski said the styling drew on historic garments by well-known Western tailors that Lambert saw on display at the museum. Executive Director Pat Riley said opening the gallery with Lambert's collection celebrates her accomplishments while giving visitors a new way to connect with a cowgirl they already know.
What the expansion adds
The Icons Gallery is one piece of a 16,000-square-foot addition on the museum's west side. According to the museum's expansion page, the project adds a new entrance facing Dickies Arena, four new galleries for fashion, personal collections and photography, an 18-horse carousel custom-made in San Francisco, a 250-guest event venue and dedicated space for K-12 programs.
Linbeck is the construction team, Ewing Cole is the architect of record and Projectiles of Paris is the design architect.
The museum opened at its current site in the Cultural District in 2002 and says its archives hold more than 4,000 artifacts, with more than 260 women inducted into the Hall of Fame.
