BETWEEN GRASS & SKY: TRAPPINGS OF A RANCH LIFE
There are those to the leather born From Grass by Buck Ramsey
January 20, 2009 – August 29, 2009 Wiegand Gallery, Western Folklife Center, Elko, Nevada This exhibition, and a companion exhibition at the Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, made possible by the E.L. Wiegand Foundation. In a horseman’s world, trappings, such as saddles and bits, are essential tools of everyday horseback work, as well as visible icons of work style and aesthetics. For Trappings of a Ranch Life, some of the finest custom saddlemakers and bitmakers were invited to show off their best work. These artists operate one-person shops; they alone are responsible for hundreds of hours of designing, forging, welding, cutting, filing, stitching, engraving and tooling. Though the work is solitary, these individuals are also part of a dynamic community of artisans that provides opportunities for creative partnerships and learning. In Trappings of a Ranch Life saddlemakers collaborated with treemakers and silverworkers, and bitmakers teamed up with rawhide braiders and leatherworkers to craft their finished products. The creative work gathered in this exhibition testified to the health and vitality of these arts in today’s ranching world. Judged as Best of Show: Many of these handcrafted saddles, bits, reins, and headstalls were available for purchase during the exhibition, a rare opportunity to invest in the one of a kind work of some of the masters of gearmaking. View the exhibition through the following artists and artifact profiles and photos. ENTER THE GALLERY HERE |
