Miranda Lambert, Lela Rose, and a $19 Million Makeover Put Fort Worth’s National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in the Spotlight

Once situated at the southern end of Fort Worth’s Cultural District, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame now sits at the center of the city’s Western and equestrian culture and heritage. Nearby Ariat Arena (formerly Dickies Arena) brings hundreds of thousands of rodeo and concert fans to the area every year, a shift that helped drive the museum’s recently completed $19 million, 16,000-square-foot expansion, executive director Pat Riley says.

“When we opened in 2002, our whole neighborhood was completely different,” Riley tells PaperCity. “Before the arena opened, it was just us and parking lots. Then we were suddenly in the middle of the whole complex. That’s when we decided to move the main entrance to the south so people weren’t walking around a flat, back wall.”

The relocated entrance is part of a sweeping expansion that adds new galleries, interactive experiences, and event spaces while giving the museum a more prominent presence in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Last week’s opening festivities brought celebrity appearances, a high-profile ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the induction of a new class of Hall of Fame honorees.

Inside the Cowgirl Museum’s New Galleries and Attractions

By Saturday’s public grand opening, visitors packed the museum for their first look at a new Miranda Lambert exhibition and an indoor carousel that brings a playful twist to the museum’s celebration of Western heritage. The expansion adds four new gallery spaces, including the Icon Gallery, which debuted with Miranda Lambert: The Velvet Rodeo.

National Cowgirl Museum curator Ashley Kowalski recently led us on a tour of the new exhibit. She explained that a previous museum exhibition inspired the famed country singer-songwriter to approach the Cowgirl Museum about displaying her Las Vegas performance wardrobe.

“We’re so honored that Miranda chose us to exhibit her wardrobe,” Kowalski said, adding that the country star’s 18 rhinestone-studded outfits will be on display for two years.

We were invited to mount one of 18 horses (plus a chariot and unicorn) on the carousel, which features artwork by Fort Worth artist Catherine Cartie. Beyond the carousel, expansive glass windows offer sweeping views of Ariat Arena to the south. The expansion strengthens the museum’s ties to its adopted community. Originally founded in Hereford, Texas, the National Cowgirl Museum relocated to Fort Worth in 1994 and opened its current Cultural District home in 2002.

With more than 260 Hall of Fame inductees, the museum still has a “lot of stories to tell,” Riley says. The expanded facilities will help bring those stories to a wider audience while making the museum a gathering place for the Fort Worth community.

Celebrated Fashion Designer Lela Rose Among Newest National Cowgirl Museum Hall of Fame Inductees

Thursday’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony drew hundreds of attendees to honor celebrated fashion designer Lela Rose, Olympic equestrian Laura Kraut, Thoroughbred trainer Cherie DeVaux, mounted shooting champion Kenda Lenseigne, custom bootmaker Lisa Sorrell, and Civil War surgeon and Medal of Honor recipient Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.

Long lines formed soon after the hours-long ceremony as friends and family gathered near the stage for photos with Lambert, a past honoree, and other inductees. We caught up with Rose, who reflected on her Texas roots and what the induction means to her and her New York-based company.

“It is just such an honor to be included in something that is going to last beyond your body of work,” she told us. “It is also an honor to get to do something that I absolutely love to do and to be among these women.”

Growing up in Dallas and spending time on her family’s ranch gave Rose ample opportunities to watch birds, listen to rustling leaves, and observe the changing wildflowers — childhood experiences that continue to influence her designs. When asked which National Cowgirl Museum value — courage, resilience, independence — she most identifies with, Rose answered without hesitation.

“I would not be standing here today without a shovel load of resilience and persistence,” Rose said. “You know, it never ends. You have to just get up every day and keep working hard at something that you want to do. It never gets easier, and I think that’s the same for every single woman that you saw today.”

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