The Woman Who Shot Cowboys: Rodeo Photographer Louise L. Serpa – Tucson

Anyone who has ever stared down an angry bull coming full throttle across an arena will understand why rodeo photographer Louise Serpa often uttered the adage, “Never Don’t Pay Attention.” Born into New York society, Louise ended up out west with her nose buried in the dirt & her eye glued to a camera, becoming the first woman to venture inside the arena and shoot some of the most amazing photographs of rodeo action. The dust and dirt of the rodeo became Louise’s lifeblood for almost 50 years. This PowerPoint program demonstrates the courage and resolute of a woman determined to decide her own fate while ascending to the highest pinnacles of rodeo photography.

Award-winning author, historian, and lecturer Jan Cleere writes extensively about the Southwest desert, particularly about the people who first settled the territory. She graduated from ASU with a degree in American Studies and is the author of five historical nonfiction books about the people who first settled in the Southwest desert. She lectures around the state about early pioneers who were instrumental in settling and civilizing the territory of Arizona. Jan writes a monthly column for Tucson’s Arizona Daily Star, “Western Women,” detailing the lives of some of Arizona’s early amazing women. Her freelance work appears in national and regional publications.