HOW NECESSITY BECAME ART

The image of the cowboy is inseparable from the North American West and often associated with the cattle drive era of the late 1800s. Most cowboy gear has a much longer history though. Saddles were around for hundreds of years before leather craftsmen started to redesign them to be more conducive to working cattle. The first metal bits were made in approximately 1400 BC, and there is evidence of rawhide braiding dating as far back as 6500 BC.

In 1519, Spanish explorer Cortez introduced working horses to North America and they soon became the primary tool in managing cattle. Cortez brought with him men who braided headstalls and ropes, introducing rawhide braiding to the Americas. Vaqueros adorned their pantaloons with silver coins and decorated their saddles and bridles with silver. When cowboys started gathering to show off their skills at early versions of rodeo, they initially wore a leather kidney belt, attaching pieces of carved metal to the belt to commemorate a win in an event. Eventually the kidney belt was tossed aside and the metal plates became buckles made of silver.

After the Civil War, the cattle industry flourished and the demand for working cowboy gear increased. Dedicated craftsmen became more and more popular. Leather craftsmen built saddles and headstalls and chaps. The blacksmith made bits and spurs, rawhide braiders made headstalls, reins, ropes and hobbles and silversmiths created symbols of success for the cowboy.

“Deep in the heart of almost everyone is the desire to surround themselves with things that somehow feed our souls,” said saddle maker Cary Schwarz. “The progression of making our tools also things of beauty is a part of the human story from day one.”

Toward the end of the 20th century though, the individual craftsmen in these trades started to fade away. It was no longer a craft passed down from generation-to-generation. Bits, spurs and saddles were now being mass produced, often offshore. With mass production came a loss of hand-crafted quality and diminished design. The modern working cowboy had to settle for something less.

In 1998, a group of saddle makers, rawhide braiders, bit and spur makers and silversmiths, gathered together to try to figure out how to preserve these trades. Later that year, the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association was formed by that group of 14 master craftsmen. Their mission was straightforward: “The Traditional Cowboy Arts Association is dedicated to preserving and promoting the skills of saddle making, bit and spur making silversmithing, rawhide braiding and the role of these traditional crafts in representing the Cowboy Culture of the North American West.”

So, the question remained, how do they achieve their mission? They realized they needed to get young craftsmen interested in these specific trades, then educate and assist them in perfecting their skill levels. Also, in order to accomplish this goal, they had to educate not only working cowboys but the public on the quality of individual work versus mass produced products. They needed help.

“I could be the greatest bit and spur maker in the world, but if no one knew about me or my work, it would be hard to share the pieces and skills with those interested,” said bit and spur maker Wilson Capron. “Sharing my passion is hard to do without a stage to do so.”

Don Reeves, then Curator/McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, knew a couple members of the newly formed TCAA and was invited to their first organized meeting in Elko, Nevada. Reeves in turn invited then Museum president, Ken Townsend, to join them. After two days in the back room of a Denny’s in Elko they came up with a solution. The Museum would host an annual exhibit and sale. Now the challenge that faced this group of craftsmen was producing “museum-worthy pieces” for the show, elevating their craft to art.

“The first day I started to engrave my dad said we better start talking about art and design,” said Wilson Capron. “I said ‘oh no Pop, I don’t want to be an artist; I just like making bits and spurs and engraving.’ He said, ‘what do you think that is? It’s art, and you have to embrace it whether you want to or not.’”

In the fall of 1999, the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association had its first sale and exhibition at the Museum. These cowboy craftsmen succeeded in bringing art to the show. Even though their art is meant to be displayed in homes and offices, each piece that is created is still functional for the cowboy. A saddle made by Colorado saddle maker and TCAA member John Willemsma can be displayed in a Boardroom at a major corporation one day and put on a back of a horse the next. It all starts with an idea, a pencil and a piece of paper. They have taken the necessary tools of the North American cowboy and raised them to the level of art.

“Each Traditional Cowboy Arts Association member is a master of their discipline,” said silversmith Scott Hardy. “Not only understanding function but the beauty and benefit of design and ornamentation and how, when brought together, they surpass function. In doing so they not only give the owner pleasure, but also break the barrier between function and art.”

The 25-year partnership with the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has grown strong each year because of the quality of the art. Here are a few results of the past 25 years:

• There have been 23 shows/sales (one was missed due to Covid)

• 900 one-of-a-kind pieces have been displayed

• The accumulated value of the shows was approximately $10 million

• An average sell through of 70% with two shows selling out

• 113 saddles have sold with an average value of $30,000

In addition to the annual sales and exhibits, the TCAA has conducted 40 workshops for craftsmen at the Museum. The TCAA has also awarded over $300,000 in scholarships and fellowships. In 2018, a coffee table book authored by A. J. Mangum about the history and members of the TCAA was published called “Cowboy Renaissance.”

TCAA’s 24th exhibition ands sale will be October 6-7 this year at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. If you are a cowboy, show horses, ride for pleasure or simply love western history and culture, I would encourage you to make a trip to Oklahoma City the first weekend of October to see the exhibition and meet with each of the artists.

Here’s to necessity becoming art!

For more information about the TCAA or the Museum, visit tcowboyarts.org and tcaa.nationalcowboymuseum.org.

~By Michael J. Nicola