Here’s how anyone can bring the western culture into your life, without ever owning a horse.
The North American West is synonymous with the cowboy and the culture of the cowboy, but you don’t need to own a horse to embrace its rich heritage. According to renowned western photographer Nadine Levin, one doesn’t even have to call the West home. “If you can’t live in the West, you can surround yourself with the West. The West is in your heart, a code you live by. It’s not where you hang your hat.”
The Poolesville, Maryland, USA, home of Nadine and her husband, Alan is filled with great Western art. The couple are especially enamored with the functional works of art crafted by the members of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA). The TCAA offers an authentic connection to the West through the traditional cowboy crafts. In this way, the Levins are living the West. Like the Levins, people throughout the world want a part of the culture in their lives. Living the West is about embodying values such as honesty, integrity and hard work. The TCAA exemplifies these principles while preserving the traditional Cowboy arts and educating future generations.
The TCAA focuses on four main disciplines: saddle making, bit and spur making, silversmithing, and rawhide braiding. These crafts are not just about creating functional items for horseback riding and work; they are also about preserving a way of life –embracing the values, culture, and traditions of the cowboy way.
Twenty-seven years ago, a core group of celebrated cowboy craftsmen – concerned that the traditional cowboy crafts were fading into oblivion, only to be replaced by soulless objects of mass production – came together. Ken Townsend, President of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and Curator Don Reeves believed in their mission and facilitated their annual sale and exhibition starting in 1999. The partnership with the museum, gave the TCAA members the opportunity to raise the level of their craft to art each year. After a quarter of a century, the TCAA has continued year in and year out to astonish the public with their artistic works.
Thus, the journey of helping all of us live the West began through working gear as art in museums and our homes. Each piece created by the TCAA artisans tells a story of dedication, skill, and a deep connection to the land and its history. After all, each member of the TCAA is also a working cowboy.
“I feel fortunate to have spent my life in the rural areas of the West,” says Ernie Marsh, a TCAA bit and spur maker. “It’s been the vast open country, combined with our horse and cattle culture that have provided many years of inspiration. I hope that patrons acquiring my work can enjoy living the West knowing that my art truly depicts the working cowboy.”
Through their work, the TCAA embodies the code of the West, and this code is based not on myth, but on the reality of life on the open range. Granted, most folks who don’t physically live in the West may not know of the code, but they are drawn to it through great writings and art.
Lance Benham, a friend and Western art collector, has witnessed firsthand, the way the TCAA works impacts others.
“Over the years and having attended many of the TCAA exhibitions and sales, [my wife] Linda and I have a number of pieces that are quite meaningful to our family. When we began our purchases, we did so because the work was so stunning and we couldn’t say ‘no!’” he states.
“As our collection grew and we began to arrange pieces alongside our other western artwork, we noticed that our family and visitors saw something we hadn’t intended. Many told us our collection is more than art… that the pieces spoke to the real West. As folks experience our paintings and sculptures many are stunned to see hand-braided reins, hand-made saddles, and hand-stamped silver work that complement the rooms. When we explain the TCAA organization and speak to the small number of artisans from the ‘Americas’ who comprise it, people are stunned to learn how the pieces are actually made,” Benham relays.
“By honoring the methods of the past in their creative efforts, the TCAA artists bring not only mastery of their western craftsmanship to our home, but also provide a celebration of the West through the simple, elegant, and practical presentation of pieces that fit naturally among our paintings and sculptures.”
Indeed, seeing a pair of spurs on the mantle above a fireplace or a saddle in a board room makes the West come alive immediately. Simply touching these pieces ignites an excitement. The energy of the artist is transfused in all of us. Stories of survival and endurance and courage are no longer just on the movie screen, but come to life with their presence.
“These pieces transcend their functional origins, becoming art forms that deserve appreciation and a place of prominence. It is a true art to display them in a way that honours their craftsmanship while enriching the surrounding space,” says San Diego, CA, USA interior designer Rebecca Welch.
“Educating clients about how these extraordinary works of art – whether handcrafted leather goods, saddles, or other heritage pieces – can seamlessly integrate into any style of home, is essential. Supporting the talented western artisans of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association is a cause close to my heart.”
At the TCAA Exhibit and Sale every year, each of the artists work to exceed their efforts of the previous year. There is a two-fold reason for this. Firstly, they don’t want to disappoint or let down their fellow artists. For instance, Wilson Capron, a renowned bit and spur maker, will certainly be looking at the quality of the silver work Canadian artisan Scott Hardy creates. Secondly, these artists take personal, deep-down pride in their work.
Living the West doesn’t require owning a horse. Through the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, individuals and families can immerse themselves in cowboy culture. By embracing this functional cowboy art, anyone can bring the spirit of the West into their life, no matter where you live.
The 26th annual sale and exhibit returns to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, USA on September 26-27, 2025. For more information, visit: www.tcowboyarts.org
