Trappings of the American West

Spring's arrival in the northern Arizona plateau country this year will herald the opening of a seven-week celebration honoring the American cowboy. "Trappings of the American West," at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, brings together arts and artifacts, artists and artisans, poets and musicians in a unique combination of fine arts, folk arts, and performing arts that provides a comprehensive picture of the life and times of the American cowboy. Paintings of old West scenes hang from the walls; nearby, bronze sculptures offer glimpses of the life of the working cowhand. Alongside the works of more than a dozen western painters, photographers, and sculptors are exhibits of the tools the cowboy used to shape his niche in history: engraved bits, spurs, bridles of braided Function comes first, without question. "You can't get too fancy with the bars on a bit," he said. "You wouldn't want them to break if a horse fell on them."

Can a tool be art? Is skillful decoration really sufficient to enable a bit or a spur to transcend its utilitarian classification?

Dian Magie, director of the Coconino Center, offered this prescription: "No matter what you're doing, you first have to master the medium. If you go beyond that to make the work an individual expression, you are creating art."

The idea for a show like this seems so natural, it's hard to imagine it was never done before 1986, its first year. According to Mehl Lawson, a member of Cowboy That first show in the spring of 1986 was an unqualified success. Not just because it produced sales for the artists, but for the more important reason that it provided such enjoyment to those who chose to be a part of it. For one thing, there was a lot more to look at than just art. "Trappings" brought together more than seventy artists, artisans, and performers, a great many of whom were every bit as watchable as their work. Cowboy painters and poets in gaudy western garb cut a sharp contrast with the more conservative saddlers and blacksmiths.

In this its second year, the show has grown and will include a festival of western films. Boot makers will be present this time. On opening weekend there will be demonstrations of many of the skills required to produce the results horsehair and rawhide, handmade knives. There are saddles, too, of tooled leather and silver.

The diverse character of this eclectic display may be its most striking element. The sparkle of an engraved concha provides a counterpoint to the burnished glow of a bronze bronco. The precise lines of a handcrafted bowie knife contrast with the bulk and texture of a pair of woolly chaps. Across the room, the lines of a saddle in an oil painting mirror those of its full-size real-life counterpart just a few feet away. The effect is uniquereality provides a footnote to art, and art returns the favor in a synergistic give and take that makes "Trappings" a more compelling experience than simply an art show depicting cowboy lore.

Although objects included in this exhibit sound like an inventory from the past, "Trappings" is definitely not an antique collection. All the articles are contemporary.

"Trappings" isn't an exhibit of decorated replicas, either. Every item included-except paintings, photographs, and sculptures-is a working tool ready to do the job for which it was intended. Jeremiah Watt, saddler and bit maker from Calgary, Ontario, is quick to point out Artists of America, a few groups had been exploring the concept for some time. Both the Rawhide and Leather Braiders Association and a group of knifemakers had considered putting together an event that would in some way hitch their medium to the soaring star of western art in general and the Cowboy Artists of America in particular. But it wasn't to come about until the Coconino Center's Magie arrived on the scene and discussed with artist Joe Beeler the creation of a fine arts-folk arts exhibit celebrating the American cowboy.

Frappings of the American West

Beeler was enthusiastic and immediately started adding categories, Magie said. "And he also knew people all around the West who would be interested in participating."

The categories finally agreed upon included paintings, photographs, and sculpture that depicted cowboy themes; saddles, bridles, chaps, articles of braided horsehair and rawhide, spurs, bits, knives, engraved metal decorations such as conchas; and poetry reading and performances by musicians.

displayed at "Trappings." As was done last year, oldtime western music will be featured throughout the opening festivities, which will conclude with a barbecue and dance.

The exhibit will be open from April 24 through June 10. Coconino Center for the Arts is open daily from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. For information and a detailed schedule, write to the center at 2300 North Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, or telephone (602) 779-6921.

Life and art meet at the "Trappings of the American West" celebration at Flagstaff's Coconino Center for the Arts. Such tools of the cowboy trade as saddles, bridles, spurs, knives, ropes, and belts become artistic creations in the skilled bands of craftsmen from throughout the West. "Trappings" also features bronze sculpture, painting, and photography, and samples the performing artspresentations by cowboy poets and musicians. PETER BLOOMER