About the Gallery:

Please call our telephone information line at 480/895-5230, Press Option 2, to make sure the gallery is open prior to your visit. All closure dates are listed on the telephone information line for each current month. Typically the gallery is open Monday through Friday, 9:00a to 4:00pm, however, always call the telephone information line prior to your visit. All visitors and groups (less than 25 people) are welcome without an appointment. Groups of 25 or more people are asked to schedule an appointment within a two month time frame. Admission to the gallery is free. The gallery is closed to the general public on the weekends.

The focus of the collection lies in two specific areas: Contemporary Western American Art and Contemporary Native American Art. It is a vast composite of oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, pastel and charcoal drawings, pen & inks, bronze, wood and natural stone sculptures, wood-turned bowls, basketry, pottery, kachinas and jewelry. There are well over 600 pieces of art depicting numerous mediums displayed throughout the gallery.

The impetus behind the collection as well as the gallery itself was one of love, respect and great admiration, and we gladly share this with you. As a child, while both of Eddie Basha, Jr.'s parents worked in the family business, Eddie was cared for by his Aunt Zelma, she herself an artist. Aunt Zelma would frequently draw pictures for Eddie as a form of entertainment, and her early artful influence was a strong and lasting one.

Upon Eddie's graduation from Stanford University with a Bachelors Degree in History, he joined the family business. Alongside his father, Eddie became fully immersed in his career and began his own family during the 1960's. Aunt Zelma stepped in once again and began encouraging Eddie to develop a hobby, more pointedly, one that supported the arts. Combining his appreciation of art as well as his other passion, history, particularly history of the American West, Eddie began collecting. He made his first acquisition in 1971 and hasn't stopped since.

Together, Zelma and Eddie frequented galleries, art shows and most importantly, the Cowboy Artists Show and Sale. For both Zelma and Eddie, the friendships that were forged with the artists they met became just as important as the collecting. As often as possible but certainly not as much as they would have liked, Zelma and Eddie would visit with the artists in their studios and talk at length about art, history and the motivation behind a particular piece of work. Their love was not only for the art, but also for the artists and their families. Some of those early friendships now span thirty years.

Aunt Zelma passed away in January of 1997. And it is with deep and abiding love, respect and admiration that this gallery has been dedicated in her memory.

The gallery officially opened in 1992 and after only a brief two years, the first expansion doubled the size. Again, recognizing the need to create separate spaces for the two distinctive collections, a second expansion occurred in 1996 opening up the Native American Wing. In January of 1999, a complete renovation of the gallery brought about a unique presentation of the collection in its entirety. Color and lots of it. The bright and bold pallet provided a splash of charisma to an already impressive exhibit. And even more boldly, in 2001 expansion areas were created for both the Western American and Native American Collections maximizing our efforts to provide additional display space. The work began in January and was completed in May of 2001.

We hope you enjoy the collection as much as we enjoy sharing it with each and every person who visits.