Bill Nebeker

Bill Nebeker began doing waxes and bronze castings for other artists as an employee of George Phippen’s Beat Paw Bronze Works in Skull Valley, Arizona, emerging as an accomplished sculptor. One of the artist founders of Cowboy Artists of America (CAA), Phippen inspired Nebeker to take up sculpting as his life’s work. Nebeker has himself been a CAA member for over 30 years and has served three terms as that organization’s president.

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He is a skilled horseman, a “darn good roper,” a decent guitar picker, and an avid hunter. These experiences and qualities provide the basis for the stories he tells in his sculptures, which are about real people or real work set in the environments found in the West.

Nebeker’s sculptures are found in the permanent collections of the Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, Georgia; Desert Caballeros Museum, Wickenburg, Arizona; Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana; National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City; the Phippen Museum, Prescott, Arizona; and the Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona.

In 2009 he was honored by the Arizona Historical Society as an Arizona Culturekeeper. This award honors Arizona citizens who have made a positive impact on the state’s history, culture, business, or civic leadership. Nebeker was recognized for the historic and cultural authenticity and importance of his bronze sculptures portraying Arizona cowboys and Native Americans as public monuments in several cities, corporate offices, and private collections throughout the Grand Canyon State. He received the 2009 Ray Swanson Memorial Award at the Cowboy Artists of America Sale and Exhibition. He was also featured in the October 2009 issue of Southwest Art.

Bill Nebeker is represented by Goodnight Trail Gallery, Mancos, Colorado; and Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jackson, Wyoming.