The Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts has built strong momentum through the leadership phase of its fundraising effort and calls on champions of the Western way of life to support the mission.
LUBBOCK, Texas — The Ranching Heritage Association announced that the campaign to build the Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts has reached 75% of its construction fundraising goal and is now opening fundraising to the public.
Donors have given more than $22 million toward the $28 million needed to begin construction. Groundbreaking is planned for summer 2027 at the National Ranching Heritage Center on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock.
“We are grateful for the more than 150 donors who stepped forward to bring Red’s vision to life during the leadership phase of the campaign,” Jim Bret Campbell, executive director for the National Ranching Heritage Center and the Ranching Heritage Association said. “Their generosity has brought us more than three-quarters of the way there, and we’re excited about what comes next.”
Those gifts came from a committed group of donors who recognize the need to preserve and pass forward cow-country values and traditions.
“Their support for the Red Steagall Institute puts us in a strong position to reach our construction fundraising goal,” Campbell said. “We’re inviting others who share our commitment to Western heritage to join us and secure the remaining funding.”
The Institute will significantly expand the National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University. It will be a working institute where accomplished masters teach, practice and share their skills with the public, offering instruction and special programming in Western bit and spur making, leatherwork, painting, photography, sculpting, songwriting and poetry
“Most importantly, it will be a place to pass on our knowledge of the heritage, traditions and values that we live by,” Red Steagall said.
Steagall, a famed cowboy poet, musician and storyteller, has spent more than 50 years championing Western arts and the ranching way of life. In 2023, he helped launch the campaign by donating his life’s work, including song and poetry manuscripts and recordings of his radio and television programs, to the National Ranching Heritage Center.
“No one has done more to keep ranching and the Western way of life in front of a mainstream audience than Red Steagall,” Campbell said. “This institute will build on that legacy by bringing master artists and artisans together with students and visitors, giving the next generation the opportunity to learn these skills firsthand.”
With more than three-quarters of its construction fundraising goal secured, the Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts enters its public fundraising phase with strong momentum. The Ranching Heritage Association invites all who value Western arts and tradition to join the effort.
“With your help, we can pass along those values to future generations,” Steagall said.
To learn more and support the campaign, visit www.redsteagallinstitute.com
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The Ranching Heritage Association is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history, culture and values of ranching in North America. Through a growing membership base across the country, the association advances preservation efforts, educational programs, exhibits and public engagement through the National Ranching Heritage Center, Ranch Life Learning Curriculum and the future Red Steagall Institute for Traditional Western Arts. The association also publishes the Ranch Record, an award-winning member magazine that shares stories and news tied to ranching heritage and the work of the National Ranching Heritage Center.
The National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University is a museum and historical park dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of ranching in North America. Located on the university’s Lubbock campus, the center spans over 30 acres and features an outdoor historical park with more than 55 authentic, restored ranch structures representing life on the ranch from the late 1700s through the mid-1900s, as well as indoor galleries, exhibits and educational programs that explore the evolution of ranching culture. Admission is free, and the Center offers tours, demonstrations and special events that connect visitors with the stories and enduring legacy of the American ranching way of life. Learn more at ranchingheritage.org.
