The Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona, created this monument to honor town resident Senator Barry Goldwater, as it's name is synonymous with Arizona. Former Mayor of Paradise Valley, Ed Lowry, noted at the dedication of the Goldwater Memorial, “As a politician, Barry Goldwater believed in truth, fairness, respect and making it clear to one and all where he stood on the issues of the day.” The 10 foot high sculpture of Senator Goldwater is the work of Joe Beeler, one of the founders of the Cowboy Artists of America. The Memorial includes historic references, including bronze medallions showing aspects of Barry Goldwater’s life.
Beeler was commissioned by The Town of Paradise Valley to create the nine-foot bronze, the first major work of art to celebrate the life of Arizona’s best-known native. Goldwater retired to Paradise Valley after serving three decades in the United States Senate.
The monument was unveiled in February 2004 and is the centerpiece of the Goldwater Memorial located in Paradise Valley. The memorial sits just below the hilltop house where Goldwater lived until his death in 1989.
Beeler said creating the heroic bronze was a challenge. “I’m not a portrait artist. I’ve always worked from images in my memory, and the people in my work are people I make up myself. They are a mixture of different things I’ve seen or thought about.”
Beeler, a long-time friend of Goldwater, worked on the sculpture for six months, and used photos; memories and videos to help him accurately portray Goldwater’s likeness. The Goldwater family provided personal items that belonged to Goldwater for Beeler to study. These items included articles of clothing and the Rolliflex camera Goldwater used to photograph his “beloved Arizona”, Beeler said.
Beeler said the success of the heroic bronze is not only due to his efforts, “there were many who helped me through the process of creating it.” Beeler said his wife, family and friends played an important role, “and the Bronze smith Foundry was particularly helpful.” The foundry, located in Prescott Valley, Arizona, cast the bronze statue and served as a workplace for Beeler as he created the sculpture.
Beeler said of Barry Goldwater, “My friendship with Barry Goldwater lasted more than 25 years. It began when we moved to Arizona 45 years ago. Barry Goldwater came to an early show I had at the Heard Museum and liked my work. Later, after a few of us formed the Cowboy Artists of America, he agreed to be Master of Ceremonies of our banquet. He lent credibility to our young organization. He wrote the forward to our first Cowboy Artists of America book, and later became an Honorary CAA.”
