TCAA

Cary Schwarz of Salmon, Idaho, is passionate about preserving and sustaining the culture of western craftsmanship and artistry. An award-winning saddlemaker, he does so, namely, through the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), which he and 10 other highly-skilled artisans of various disciplines founded in 1999.

The association was born when he, and like-minded craftsmen, grew concerned that time-honored skill sets, such as saddlery, silversmithing, rawhide braiding and bit and spur making, were in danger of being lost to the dust of history.

To them, it was painfully obvious that experts in those disciplines who had retired, or had passed on, were not being replaced by an upsurge of younger enthusiasts eager to carry on authentic cowboy arts