Museum shopping

Fort Worth's Cowgirl Museum debuts retooled, rebranded Western-chic boutique

Savvy Fort Worth shoppers know that local museum gift shops are the best places in town to find distinctive, thoughtful, high-quality gifts. Fresh off a big renovation and pandemic pause, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame has debuted an all-new boutique shop called Desert Rose.

The new store opened its doors in early October, selling a carefully edited selection of Western chic clothing, home décor, tourist souvenirs, children’s gifts, and more.

A spokeswoman says the museum had wanted to expand and move the location of the existing store, update the name and branding, give the space a fresh new look, and refine the items offered to visitors.

To do this, they called on longtime Fort Worth retail and design professional, Leslie Distler.

No stranger to the Fort Worth retail scene nor the city's cowboys-and-culture ethos, Distler's resume includes time as a buyer and manager for Leddy’s Ranch in Sundance Square, then a partner in popular home decor and clothing boutique Feathers in the Foundry District (now closed). She had been concentrating full time on her interior design company, LES is More, when the Cowgirl Museum came calling over the summer.

"I was brought on to the museum because the hiring manager was aware of my past history that would allow me to jump right into this role," Distler says.

Distler wanted to make the Cowgirl store a destination for both museum visitors and Fort Worth shoppers looking for unique pieces, she says, so she brought in a wide selection of gifts, children's items, jewelry, and clothing that go beyond novelty items.

"We could work up an outfit for a special occasion or just for a night out," she says. "We are a museum driven for Cowgirls — women of power — and our boutique sells a great selection to stand behind this."

The Cowgirl will extend the "Desert Rose" brand to its inaugural Desert Rose Luncheon and Fashion Show benefiting the museum's educational programming efforts, November 10 at River Crest Country Club; tickets are $200 (email elprescott@cowgirl.net).

Previously known as the Old Bags Luncheon, the refreshed shopping event will include clothing, hats, custom handbags, home décor, art, jewelry, china, beauty, accessories, and more from the likes of Capello, Casey Marks, COLORES, Hadleigh’s, Noble 31, Riccio Italy, Kate Swail Designs, The Barfield Collection, and many more.

Before the Desert Rose luncheon comes the Cowgirl Museum's biggest event of the year, the 45th Annual Induction Luncheon and Ceremony, taking place October 26 at Dickies Arena. This year's honorees include country superstar Miranda Lambert, who will be on hand for her induction into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

In conjunction with the Induction Luncheon and Ceremony, the Cowgirl is rolling out a new exhibition called "The Devils" by international award-winning photographer Constance Jaeggi, beginning October 22.

They're saddling up for a busy fall.

The Desert Rose boutique will be open for shopping during museum hours, 10 am-5 pm Tuesday through Saturday and 12-5 pm Sunday.

There's a selection of kids' items, too.

Photo courtesy of National Cowgirl Museum

There's a selection of kids' items, too.

museums shopping

Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

galleries