Photographer Constance Jaegi Explores Escaramuza at Colorado Photographic Arts Center

The dust on the stage floor of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center settles around the feet of women who don’t look like the cowboys you see on postcards. They wear Victorian-style dresses, lace and baby blue, yet they move with the sharp, synchronized precision of fighters. It’s a visual contradiction that photographer Constance Jaeggi has spent years chasing, documenting the all-female equestrian sport of escaramuza across the West.

Now, that work is coming to a virtual spotlight.

Jaeggi is one of six artists reexamining the image of the cowboy in a current group exhibition at the center. On Saturday, she joins poet Angelina Sáenz for a free Zoom session to discuss her series, “Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home.” The event kicks off at noon, offering locals a chance to look closer at the women behind the tradition without leaving their living rooms.

“The sport evolved from the historically male-only charrería, combining quick, synchronized choreography inspired by female fighters of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century,” Jaeggi explains.

This isn’t just about pretty pictures in fancy dresses. The series mixes portraits of the riders with poems by Sáenz and Texas Poet Laureate Ire’ne Lara Silva. The poetry is based on interviews Jaeggi conducted with the riders themselves, grounding the visual art in actual voices and stories.

As the exhibition runs until June 20, the center is using this moment to broaden the definition of what a cowboy exhibition looks like. It’s no longer just about men on horses in the American West. It’s about the women who adapted that culture, who wore the lace and still commanded the arena.

Jaeggi and Sáenz will be joined by Samantha Johnston, the center’s executive director and curator, for the conversation. The talk is free, and a recording will be sent to all registered participants afterward. For folks around here who might miss the noon slot, the digital archive waits.

While the art show is the main draw this week, the Western Slope is also gearing up for its usual summer kickoff rituals. Just down the road in Garfield County, the Rifle Rendezvous Days are underway. It’s a 30-year tradition that draws crowds to the fairgrounds for live music, car shows, and an archery range. The event runs through May 17, costing $45 for entry.

Meanwhile, Grand Junction is hosting the Grand Valley River Fest. It’s a day of food, music, and beer along the river at Las Colonias Park. The proceeds from the SUP yoga class, beer garden, and rubber ducky scramble go directly to local nonprofits. It’s free to enter, running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And if you’re looking for something with more miles, Denver’s only marathon is making its way around town this weekend. The route threads through Empower Field at Mile High, circles Sloan’s Lake, passes Casa Bonita, and ends with a party in City Park. It might be too late to train for the full 26.2 miles, but the energy is there.

Back at the art center, the focus remains on the intersection of history and identity. Jaeggi’s photos capture the women of escaramuza not as side characters, but as central figures in a story that spans centuries and borders.

“The exhibition at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center will be on display until June 20,” Johnston notes. “It’s a chance to see how these traditions live on, how they adapt, and how they challenge what we think we know about the West.”

Jaeggi puts it more simply. “It’s about the poetics of home,” she says. “For these women, the arena is where they claim their space, their history, and their voice.”