Art of the Cowgirl

Passing the Western Spirit to the Next Generation 

“We celebrate women, horsemanship, agriculture and art.”

- JAIMIE STOLTZFUS

written by Cyd Hoefle, Photos contributed by Art of the Cowgirl

Passing on traditions has long been a part of the lifestyle of the West. An older adult teaching a younger one an art or skill to prepare them for life. 

Art of the Cowgirl was founded with that in mind and is all about protecting, preserving and sharing the art of the Western spirit and passing it down to the next generation. The commonality of the women in the group share is the desire to celebrate cowgirls, their families and their contributions to the Western lifestyle and culture. 

The organization brings experienced and aspiring artisans and horsewomen together in a mentorship program that allows the professionals to pass on their expertise and knowledge to the younger generation.  

When Art of the Cowgirl was founded just two years ago by Ryegate native Tammy Pates, her dream was to provide an opportunity for emerging Western artists to work with masters. The idea grew quickly as horsewomen, saddle makers, bootmakers, silversmiths and fine artists gathered to offer workshops and mentorships in a fellowship program. 

The first event was held in January 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona, giving ranch women an opportunity to leave winter behind for a few days and enjoy the fellowship with other women. Around 1,500 women gathered at the first event, and attendance doubled the following year. 

“We celebrate women, horsemanship, agriculture and art,” said Fellowship Director Jaimie Stoltzfus. “The fellowship program connects women and helps provide an opportunity to learn a trade, build something with your hands and keep a Western tradition going.”

An impressive roster of masters in several trade areas offer up a week or more of their time to train with up-and-coming artists. Art of the Cowgirl pays for it all — the teaching fees for the masters, travel and lodging for the recipients, plus materials and supplies. 

Scholarship winners are required to finish the fellowship in the year it was awarded and show the work they accomplished during their mentorship at the following year’s event. And they are asked to donate a piece of their work to the fellowship auction to help defer the costs of the next year’s fellowship winners. 

For Melanie Kimpton of Townsend, it was an honor to have been the 2020 recipient of the scholarship for horsehair hitching and rawhide braiding. She apprenticed under renowned custom braiders Bill and Theresa Black of Plush, Oregon. 

“I had only been braiding for about three years,” Melanie said. “But when I saw the application, I jumped right on it. Up to that point, I’d really just braided during the winter down time, so I didn’t have a lot of finished projects.”

Melanie spent 10 days with the Blacks, staying at their home working long days under one-on-one tutoring. 

“The days were long,” she admitted, “but I learned more in the time I was with the Blacks than I had in the three years since I’d started.” 

In addition to learning the trade better, the masters will often help with business plans, goals-setting and time-management skills.  

“We spent three days just cutting strings,” Melanie said. “Getting prepared for projects helps save time down the road. I finished a set of reins for the auction in June, but I also came home with a lot of unfinished projects to keep me going.” 

The close quarters and full days allowed Melanie and the Blacks to become good friends. “They told so many stories during the time I was there,” Melanie said. “And they showed me more than I could have imagined with braiding. They challenged me to try new things.”

Chelsea Sazama, who won the saddle-making scholarship and spent a week with professional saddle maker Nancy Martiny, of May, Idaho, had a similar experience. 

“I had already built 15 saddles,” Chelsea said. “But winning the fellowship from Art of the Cowgirl gave me something that I had never experienced. I worked 10- to 12-hour, uninterrupted days, with Nancy showing me every step of the way, and came home with a completed saddle.”

As an advanced saddle maker, the fellowship helped Chelsea hone her talent. “Nancy worked on more advanced skills for me and there were two of us being tutored on two different style of saddles, so I actually picked up a lot on building another style.” 

In addition to saddles, Chelsea also makes chinks, leggings, tapaderos, belts and purses, and eventually she’d like to help others learn leathermaking skills.

“Art of the Cowgirl believes in full circle,” she said. “You give back what you’ve received. I’d like to teach 4-H kids basic leatherwork.” 

It isn’t just the select few scholarship recipients that benefit from Art of the Cowgirl. At the yearly event, dozens of workshops are offered by masters who teach horsemanship, cow dog handling, jewelry making, photography, songwriting and other skills. 

“We’ve really tried to find a master at about everything we can think of that ranch women are interested in and we’d like to showcase those talents,” Jaimie said. “Especially those that are that are used to supplement incomes. The workshops are hands-on and really beneficial to the ones attending them.”

“We’ve really tried to find a master at about everything we can think of that ranch women are interested in and we’d like to showcase those talents.”

-JAIMIE STOLTZFUS

The event is usually held in January in Arizona, but this year will be held in June in Bozeman.

“I think it will be a huge success,” Jaimie said. “Women from all over the country attend, and Montana is such a great spot to come to, especially in the middle of summer.” 

The four-day event is scheduled for June 24-27 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds and includes an all-woman ranch rodeo, a 75-vendor trade show and an elite horse sale. 

The horse sale is unique in that a select number of horses, trained by ranch women to do ranch work, will be available for auction. Last year, sales prices at the elite auction averaged $37,000. 

“It’s a very exciting time for everyone,” Jaimie said. “Art of the Cowgirl just keeps getting bigger and better and impacting more and more Western women.”

For more information, check out Art of the Cowgirl on Facebook or at their website www.artofthecowgirlcom.