A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art

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A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art Celebrating the cowboy and the old west through the art of A.R. Mitchell "King of the Cowboy Pulp Illustrators".

Arthur Roy Mitchell (1889-1977) painted iconic western scenes featuring cowboys, horses, cattle and vast beautiful landscapes that captured the hearts and minds of pulp western readers from the 1930's to today. Known as the "King of the Pulp Western Illustrators", the largest collection of his work is proudly displayed at the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art, in downtown Trinidad, Colorado. The establishment of the museum came about following the artist’s death in 1977 when Ethel Mitchell Erickson or “Tot” A.R. Mitchell's sister, felt a sentimental pull toward returning his entire collection to Trinidad where she and her brother were born and raised. More than 350 paintings and illustrations by Mitchell are displayed at the museum, along with works by other nationally recognized artists like Harold Von Schmidt and Harvey Dunn. The museum also exhibits a collection of early Hispanic folk art including bultos, retablos, tinwork, Penitente artifacts, Native American pottery and blankets. The museum exhibits a historic collection of photographs taken by George Benjamin Wittick. Born in 1845, Wittick was the official photographer of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad (later known as Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe). The display of his photographs of Native American culture is not to be missed. A.R.Mitchell Memorial Museum of Western Art is located in the historic Jamieson Department Store, a 1906 Western-style structure with original pressed-tin ceilings, wood floors and a horseshoe-shaped mezzanine.

08/07/2026

Unbridled opens TONIGHT! Join us in celebrating these amazing western women artists from 5-8PM. As always, attendance is free and light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided.

Wow! We can’t believe all this art fit on our walls!! With over 100 pieces of art from women artists around the world, ...
07/30/2026

Wow! We can’t believe all this art fit on our walls!!

With over 100 pieces of art from women artists around the world, Unbridled is a new and impressive exhibit at the A.R. Mitchell Museum. Please join us for the opening reception Friday August 7th, 5-8PM. Light hours d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided, attendance is always free.

Work for the first Unbridled: An All Women Western Art Exhibition is coming in hot this week! We are so grateful to the ...
07/10/2026

Work for the first Unbridled: An All Women Western Art Exhibition is coming in hot this week! We are so grateful to the artists whose talents make a show like this possible. We couldn’t be more excited to host this group of women, new and familiar!

See the museum’s website for more information as we approach the opening of Unbridled on August 7th, 2026.

It’s First Friday week and a huge time for illustration artwork at the museum!! We will be closed to the public during o...
06/03/2026

It’s First Friday week and a huge time for illustration artwork at the museum!! We will be closed to the public during our regular business hours Thursday June 4th- Friday June 5th hosting our friends from Colorado Creative Industries… but we’ll be back in action from 5-8 PM on Friday the 5th to celebrate and appreciate all the lovely works hanging in the museum right now!!

There’s lots to see and do, including the grand opening of Character in Context along with visiting artists from the show and activities on Saturday, a new process illustration show of Mitchell’s works, and a solo exhibit from Maia Larkin.

Attendance is always free. Light food and refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you this Friday!

In theme with the Character in Context illustration and process show hanging in the museum right now, here’s a look at t...
05/13/2026

In theme with the Character in Context illustration and process show hanging in the museum right now, here’s a look at the process behind Mitchell’s own illustration work.

This piece, titled “A Very Bad Day,” is based on one of Mitch’s stories about his days spent on roundups. This particular season was full of gopher holes littering the ground, which lead to the fall of Mitchell and his horse.

Like many illustrators, Mitchell did a lot of process work before attacking a canvas with paint. Some of his paintings in the museum collection have over 20 sketches in preparation for the final piece. This perfection of composition through his preliminary work is one of the many reasons for Mitchell’s title, “The King of Western Pulp Illustrators.” This particular piece features a personal story, preliminary work, and the final magazine cover from Cowboy Stories.

Can you spot the differences between the finished painting from the museum collection and the piece printed for the magazine?

You can see these Mitchell works on display during June’s First Friday opening, alongside over 50 working illustrators in our 3rd annual Character in Context show.

Come join us for the third annual Character in Context exhibition at the historic A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad, Colo...
04/23/2026

Come join us for the third annual Character in Context exhibition at the historic A.R. Mitchell Museum in Trinidad, Colorado.
Soft opening May 1, 5-8
Grand opening June 5, 5-8, live painting and other programming TBA.

In its third year, Character in Context showcases hand-crafted artwork by distinguished working artists. Featuring traditionally-made preliminary work alongside final artwork, this innovative presentation in a museum setting seeks to inspire viewers by placing them behind the scenes into an artist’s process. In the age of digitally altered media and soulless, AI-generated images, this exhibition is the exception by showcasing the work behind the artwork, in all of its raw beauty.

For inquiries on artwork, please contact [email protected]. All artwork copyright the respective artists.
by

See this full work by Steve Belledin for yourself during our soft opening on May 1st. Also join us for the grand opening...
04/15/2026

See this full work by Steve Belledin for yourself during our soft opening on May 1st. Also join us for the grand opening and artist reception on June 5th. Artworks will be available for purchase in-person and online through July 31st. Click the link in our bio for more info!

Artworks:
Lifeline
Steve Belledin
Oil
12 x 24 inches

Lifeline Study
Oil
5 x 10 inches

Lifeline Preliminary Sketch
Pencil
5 x 10 inches

It’s time to update your calendar, Character In Context is on the horizon. Join us at the museum for a preview during Ma...
04/13/2026

It’s time to update your calendar, Character In Context is on the horizon. Join us at the museum for a preview during May’s First Friday on the 1st. The grand opening will take place at June’s First Friday on the 5th. Artists will be in attendance as well as doing live painting demos. We’re so excited to bring this illustration show to you again!

Artwork;
“Self-Containment” Preliminary Sketch
Red Nose Studio
Pencil on paper
4x7 inches

This is a staff photo of A.R. Mitchell from the 1956-57 school year during his time at Trinidad State Junior College - n...
04/10/2026

This is a staff photo of A.R. Mitchell from the 1956-57 school year during his time at Trinidad State Junior College - now Trinidad State College. Mitchell developed the art program at in 1945 and continued to teach for 14 years. Many of his students, such as .paulmilosevich went on to become professional artists themselves.

The note on the back of this photograph reads “Teacher (art) at Trinidad State Junior College, 1956, everybody got mugged every year.” Seems like Mitch loved picture day.

We’re excited to host Unbridled, a show celebrating the women who refuse to be fenced in by genre, geography, or expecta...
03/19/2026

We’re excited to host Unbridled, a show celebrating the women who refuse to be fenced in by genre, geography, or expectation. This exhibition welcomes the full spectrum of Western visual culture: from ranch and rodeo to borderlands and back alleys, from high plains light to urban grit, from historical re-visioning to speculative futures. Artists are encouraged to take risks, push scale and material, and submit work that feels most true to their own wild, Western imagination.

Have you got your entry submitted for our Unbridled show later this year? There is still time to turn in artwork, juried by the lovely Find the link in our biography!

Address

150 E Main Street
Trinidad, CO
81082

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+17198464224

Website

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