A celebration is in order for an association of visionary craftsmen who have worked tirelessly for 10 years, unified in their commitment to perpetuate the arts they represent. This small circle of artisans, through creativity, technical excellence and personal outreach, has produced a reassessment of saddlemaking, bit and spur making, rawhide braiding and silversmithing trades in the West.

On September 27, the 10th annual Traditional Cowboy Arts Association Exhibition and Sale will open to an expectant crowd intent on commemorating this important anniversary. Much has been accomplished in the last decade and the Western gear industry has undergone an amazing renaissance. After 10 brief years, public expectations have been elevated and the market has responded. There is great optimism that these trades are on the upswing, encouraging a new generation of talented men and women to spend years devoted to hand-made crafts that many observers expected to disappear, replaced by mass-produced gear for a 21st century market.

In 1998, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum was at a crossroads. The new building expansion and elaborate exhibition gallery plans occupied the institution’s resources and staff time. The institution had built its reputation on the Rodeo Hall of Fame and the popularity of contemporary Western art yet the staff realized the Museum was not closely connected to important ranches of the day or the average modern cowboy.

Joe Beeler and others had established “Trappings of the American West” in 1986, a modern gear and craft show in Flagstaff, Arizona, with a broad range of Western artistry represented. “The Trappings of Texas,” a popular exhibition and sale of cowboy gear and fine art had been held annually in Alpine, Texas, since 1986. The staff at the National Cowboy Museum debated the merits of a similar program, not a booth show, but an exhibition with the gear on display for its artistic merit.

During a phone conversation about that same time, saddlemaker Chuck Stormes mentioned a forthcoming meeting in May 1998 at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Several craftsmen were gathering to discuss the feasibility of an organization promoting fine Western craftsmanship and renewing public interest in their chosen fields. He candidly remarked that his long drive from Calgary might be a wasted trip because the odds were against a loose group of craftsmen cooperating and sustaining such an organization. Excited by the possibilities, I mentioned that if such a group were organized, the National Cowboy Museum would undoubtedly be interested in hosting them for an exhibition.

The small conclave of craftsmen was encouraged by the meeting and hopeful that a small organization of master artisans, selected by their peers, could work together and inspire new emerging talent. The calls went out and several interested individuals from across the West met in February 1999, at a Denny’s in Elko, Nevada. This historically unique assembly of makers and business professionals, with guarded optimism, laid the groundwork for the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association.

Executive Director Ken Townsend and I represented the Museum and witnessed what may have been the longest session of meetings ever held in booths at a Denny’s restaurant...a day and a half! After the vote was taken to formally incorporate the TCAA, the first action by the membership was to accept an invitation from the Museum to host the inaugural exhibition September 11 through November 21, 1999.

The founding TCAA members were: Mike Beaver, Mark Dahl, Mark Drain, John C. Ennis, Scott Hardy, Dale Harwood, Bill Heisman, Don King, Ernie Marsh, Cary Schwarz and Chuck Stormes. Though retired, noted silversmith Al Pecetti and bit and spur maker Al Tietjen were honored as emeritus members. Of this initial group of 13, only nine remain active. Two members have died, Al Pecetti and Don King, and two have emeritus status, Al Tietjen and Mike Beaver.

Through the years new members have been added to the Association through a protracted application process. Applicants attend the weekend festivities associated with an annual fall TCAA exhibition and learn about the association as the TCAA members become more familiar with the applicant’s work. Today there are 19 active craftsmen and elected members outnumber those who founded the organization.

Ten years ago the founders were troubled that craftsmen were not developing adequate skills because much of their work had to be produced during evening hours or weekends due to the economic necessity of full-time jobs required to support their families. Since that first year, the TCAA has placed great emphasis on public education programs that explore the traditions of each trade and endeavor to pass on unique methods and skills to the current generation of craftsmen.

The TCAA has promoted an internship program since 2000. Craftsmen are hosted in the shops of TCAA members and the Association often provides scholarship funds to defray the cost of transportation and several days lodging. During the past nine years 137 individuals have taken advantage of this opportunity to study one-on-one with a master craftsman in their field.

In 2001 the TCAA began presenting hands-on workshops at the Museum and by 2005 they were supporting two workshops annually. During the last several years additional workshops have been presented around the country by TCAA members, increasing the educational opportunities for others to learn the related trades. Future plans of the Association include educational publications and films. As financial support for the organization and exhibition grows, new and creative educational programs will be developed.

This year’s TCAA member-led workshops at the Museum focus on rawhide braiding. A popular session was held last February and another sold out workshop is scheduled for September 23-26, 2008, led by the same instructors, Leland Hensley and Nate Wald. For each workshop the TCAA members, and the Museum, work hard to create a cordial, welcoming atmosphere where each participant, regardless of experience, feels at ease and can enjoy the camaraderie of fellow craftsmen. In February 2009, Valentin Yotkov of New York City will present an exclusive chasing and repoussé hands-on workshop at the Museum to be followed in September 2009 by a TCAA member-lead silver-engraving workshop.

The 2008 exhibition also will include two new TCAA members from California. Mehl Lawson, a rawhide braider from Bonita, near San Diego, is a well-known sculptor who participates annually in the Prix de West and Cowboy Artists of America art shows. Though born in France, saddlemaker Jean Pierre “Pedro” Pedrini of Loma Rica, California, has been building buckaroo saddles in the United States for 30 years.

These artisans are actually competing against themselves while preparing for the 2008 exhibition. Silversmith Scott Hardy recently noted, "A craftsman may normally make work of this level two or three times in his lifetime. Producing extraordinary works each year places a lot of pressure on the TCAA members."

He also explained that the TCAA’s most significant educational tool is the show each year. "It is the single biggest motivator to other craftsmen. Each spring the looming exhibition is a driving force among the group. It is common to hear, 'What are you going to do for Oklahoma?'"

The bar has been raised. Hardy says collectors demand a new level of craftsmanship and that the exhibition "has escalated the level of craftsmanship 20-fold in the last decade."

In the span of 10 years, the TCAA has become a close-knit group with extraordinary vision for their trades. Many of the items in this exhibition were specifically created to commemorate this milestone anniversary. Some artisans have been designing these one-of-a-kind works and planning cooperative efforts for two years. The TCAA members and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum sincerely hope the 10th Anniversary TCAA Exhibition will stand as a celebration of the "West of today" as well as a promise of outstanding craftsmanship for the future.

Don Reeves
McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture
Curator of Cowboy Collections