Artist Talk: Cary Schwarz

In person and online

Saddlemaker and leather artist Cary Schwarz will present on the development of his craft.

Schwarz is featured in the Craft in America episode, WEST. Schwarz attended a saddlemaking trade school in the early 1980s and continued to diligently pursue his studies, crediting influences such as Ray Holes Saddle Company, Dale Harwood, and Chuck Stormes for shaping his approach, which prioritizes both function and art. Schwarz is a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), a non-profit dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional cowboy crafts. He has received recognition for his work, including the Governor’s Award for the Arts by the Idaho Commission on the Arts in 2010 and being named Saddlemaker of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists in 2009. In 2026 he was named an NEA National Heritage Fellow.

Please email rsvp@craftinamerica.org to attend in person or register to join the webinar online.

This talk is presented in conjunction with the Craft in America Center exhibition, Cowboy Craft: Traditional Art of the West, on view June 13 through September 12, 2026.