Outriders: Legacy of the Black Cowboy

Outriders: Legacy of the Black Cowboy is an exercise in unearthing images of the drivers, fiddlers, cowpunchers, cattle rustlers, cooks, singers, bulldoggers, and broncobusters with African heritage. This exhibition balances historical narratives and archival photographs depicting life and work of the cattle drivers from the years immediately before the Civil War through the turn of the twentieth century, with contemporary responses from artists demonstrating Black individuals’ embodiment of the cowboy icon. Outriders broadens our conception of what makes an American symbol and legacy, questioning a story that is deeply ingrained in our popular culture.