Ornately-beaded attire is an important aspect of Nez Perce tribal gatherings and parades – even for horses. The tradition of hand sewing horse regalia goes back generations. Horses are often draped in keyhole shaped head pieces, beaded saddle drops and decorative martingales at the chest.

In her leather working studio, Kari McCluey hangs a pair of bright pink chaps, their sides decorated with shiny metal conchos embedded in three-dimensional leather flowers. The Boise leather artist is known by cowgirls for her whimsical chaps that embrace and embody femininity.

It’s a chilly evening in December and dozens of families and friends line the walls and corners of the high-ceilinged El Korah Shrine dance hall in Boise. They are milling excitedly on the sidelines, all waiting for the same thing.

In North Idaho, Lapwai is home to many members of the Nez Perce tribe, who call themselves the Nimíipuu. Raised in Lapwai, Jenny Williams, Omaha-Nez Perce, is a skilled Indigenous weaver who is passing down generations of traditional hand work to others in her community.

More than a dozen riders at the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo this year, held at the Eastern Idaho State Fairgrounds, rode in a saddle made by one man: Chase Carter. He's a rancher and saddle maker who helps organize the event and comes every year to see his handiwork in action.

Boise Circus performer Cuream Jackson is taking a very old art and using it to contemplate race and gender identity. He comes to the circus as an aerialist, performing with silks, hoops, trapeze and his favorite, straps, considered the most difficult of the aerial disciplines.

Tejanos have been around Paul, Idaho for as long as Damian Rodriguez can remember. The agricultural community saw an influx of the population each summer as migrant workers arrived to tend the fields.

Linda Morton-Keithley sits at her largest loom in her home studio in Melba, Idaho. This is her largest loom and she’s weaving a pattern to be installed on a handmade leather purse. She pulls a shuttle through the strings, known as warp thread, and then uses a comb to bunch the yarn together creating a bright triangle of yarn before her in red, blue, green and gray.

When musician Gary Eller first moved to Pickle’s Butte, Idaho, in 2006, he began playing in bluegrass and oldtime music groups and getting to know Idaho musicians. Having grown up in rural West Virginia, he carried on a proud tradition of historic, regional roots music from his childhood home. He wanted to learn more about his new home and wondered, ‘What were Idaho’s historic songs?’

A cacophony of hammering and a roaring forge bounce off the high metal walls of a small warehouse in Garden City, Idaho. Bouquets of steel scraps line the edges of the space. Anvils, clamps and tongs decorate each surface. The art studio of Idaho blacksmith Susan Madacsi closely resembles her blue collar industrial workshop neighbors. She turns down a blaring radio to tour the place where she turns out large-scale public art sculptures.