Bootmaker
Dana Perrotti
Dana Perrotti is a bootmaker at Texas Traditions in Austin, apprenticing under Lee Miller since around 2016. She came to bootmaking from metal sculpture and self-taught leatherwork before deciding she needed a teacher, saying she doesn't think anyone can teach themselves to make boots. In 2019 she organized a public gathering of Austin bootmakers at Texas Folklife.
Known for
Texas Traditions apprentice under Lee Miller
Related: Texas Traditions · Lee Miller · Charlotte Marshall · Jojo McKibben · Graham Ebner
Biography
History
Dana Perrotti is a bootmaking apprentice at Texas Traditions in Austin, Texas, under master bootmaker Lee Miller. The Austin Chronicle photographed her with the shop on 20 April 2019 and reported she had then been one of Miller's apprentices for three years.
Before bootmaking, she was interested in metal sculpture and taught herself to make leather bags from books, trial and error, and online videos, before deciding she needed a teacher. She is quoted: "I honestly do not think you can teach yourself how to make boots." She organized a public Cowboy Bootmakers gathering at Texas Folklife on 25 April 2019.
In her own interview for that project, she said she learned bootmaking from Miller and was one of four apprentices at the shop at the time. Equine Info Exchange listed her on the shop's crew at age 31 in an article dated 4 April 2022, with a later page update.
Sources
Identification and markings
Maker-specific markings guidance has not been documented yet. Preserve the complete stamp and compare it against dated sources.
Sources and references
Historical references are cited with the history above. Each catalog record includes its own supporting evidence.
Encyclopedia references: CowboyBootsDB and maker archives linked where available. Historical dates and attributions can vary by source.