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"A Golden Day" by Judith Lennox Sabatini
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All exhibits are free and open to the public Tuesday - Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Art Center, 126 E. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln, Kansas 67455. For more information call (785) 524-3241.
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Judith Lennox Sabatini's exhibit "A Golden Day," featured at the Lincoln Art Center, celebrates the Flint Hills and the day-to-day activities of the Wild Turkey Ranch in Wabaunsee County. A reception for the artist will be held Friday, November 21 from 5-7 p.m., with a gallery walk at 5:30 p.m. "Custom Cowboy Boots: The Kansas Story" will be exhibited with Sabatini's work through December.
The Lincoln County Historical Society will feature photographs from the "Custom Cowboy Boot" exhibit, a Roenick saddle and local artifacts in cooperative exhibit with the Art Center. The reception at the Lincoln County Historical Society will be on Friday, November 21 from 6-8 p.m.
Since 1999, Sabatini has ridden with the cowboys for round-ups, documenting them at work at rest. Her large black and white and color images are distinctly divided into two areas, the land and the cowboys. Yet, in reality, they cannot be separated.
Sabatini continues to produce her own work and owns Studio 521 Photography in downtown Topeka.
"Custom Cowboy Boots: The Kansas Story" explores the development of the cowboy boot in Kansas from it's earliest appearance on the cattle trails to the present day .This exhibit was produced by the Kansas State Historical Society.
Artist Statement: IT’S A GOLDEN DAY
During the last twenty years I’ve driven many a mile on the back roads of the pristine Flint Hills. There were a lot of Saturdays when I’d load my cameras with film, knowing full well that trying to capture the true beauty of the area would be a challenge that would keep me coming back for a long time. At the time I began, there was no thought of an exhibition. These photos were made to be personal visual memories. For the sake of this show, the photos are distinctly divided into two areas: the land and the cowboys. Yet, in reality they cannot be separated. I am honored to be able to share these memories with you.
Although I’ve never stopped photographing the Flint Hills landscape, I was caught completely off guard when, what started out as just another single day’s adventure evolved into five years of collecting images that weren’t just about landscape but fully encompassed the story of the Flint Hills. I attended my first cattle round-up at the Wild Turkey Ranch in Wabaunsee County in the Spring of 1999 and I was hooked.
The cowboys seemed somewhat skeptical of my presence in the beginning but over time, as we became accustomed to one another, they accepted my hanging around and eventually ignored me and my cameras totally. They had a job to do and being photographed wasn’t it.
I was assigned to ride in the truck with the ranch manager, which, I think was their polite way of keeping me out of the way. Of course it was certainly more practical because I sure couldn’t ride a horse and handle my cameras at the same time. Driving in the truck turned out to be a wonderful blessing, because I was ahead of the herd and could see things unfold with a clear vision. Each time the ranch manager and I would talk about the round-up, he would tell me it was a “Golden Day.” It didn’t matter that it was 32º or 95º, shining sun or drizzling rain, it was always a golden day as far as he was concerned. He loved these round-ups, as did the others.
Yes, these are real cowboys and yes, they do have other jobs, too. But during the round-ups they are pure cowboy, using the same riding, roping and branding skills that cowboys of an earlier era used. During the summer months many of these cowboys use their ranching skills to compete with other cowboys in ranch rodeos around the state. They take pride in what they do and do it well.
The romance of the cowboy isn’t dead because gentle men like these will forever pursue the skills of horsemanship, roping and understanding the land and cattle. This opportunity to photograph a remnant of the old west in modern times has been one of the more satisfying experiences of my photographic career.
Judith Lennox Sabatini
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