Exhibits & Events

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Print Center is proud to present Ron Tarver: The Long Ride Home, Black Cowboys in America, an exhibition that reveals the depth, breadth, beauty and visual poetry of Black cowboys throughout America. Until recently, popular culture had not recognized the vital Black contribution to our national stories of “The American West.” The Long Ride Home offers a contemporary counter-narrative to the traditional whitewashed myths. Tarver’s insightful photographs of Black Western heritage affirm a thriving culture of Black-owned ranches, rodeos, parades, inner-city cowboys and retired cowhands, from rural ranches to big city riding clubs – many in Philadelphia.

Growing up in Oklahoma, Tarver was surrounded by a vibrant Black cowboy culture. When he moved to Philadelphia in 1983, he found that this culture was virtually unknown on the East Coast. This revelation inspired a photo series for The Philadelphia Inquirer that began in 1992 and eventually became a cover story for their Sunday Magazine. An outpouring of reader support spurred the series on. He’s been correcting the American cowboy narrative with his photographs ever since. Set against the recent ascent of Black Western culture and the nation’s Semiquincentennial, Tarver’s color photographs celebrate this heritage as a foundational part of American history and contemporary culture. All shot in the 1990s, these 40 images bear witness to the lived experiences of Black cowboys and cowgirls across the U.S.

Tarver is a Pulitzer Prize, Pew Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship-winning photographer. For 32 years, he worked as a photojournalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and his striking images have been widely exhibited nationally and internationally. His award-winning book,  (George F. Thompson Publishing, 2024), has received significant critical and popular acclaim – the first printing sold out within 30 days of its release.

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His dedication to photographing Black cowboys has inspired artists, filmmakers and photographers like Ivan McClellan, who calls Tarver the “North Star as far as where the work can go.”

“This project has allowed me to reflect on my personal heritage of growing up in the West,” says Tarver. “While I do not consider myself a cowboy, I have a deep respect and admiration for those in the Black community who live out their western heritage every day. It is my hope that this exhibition affirms today’s thriving culture of Black-owned ranches, rodeo operations and inner-city cowboys, and inspires further conversation about what it means to be a cowboy—as well as what it means to be an American. Cowboys come in many colors. It’s time Black cowboys get their due.”

“Serving as the fiscal sponsor for this award-winning book and exhibition project has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The Print Center is guided by a dedication to supporting artists, and seeing Tarver’s work receive the recognition and accolades it deserves, especially after so much time, is deeply gratifying. We are thrilled to share this work in Philadelphia, as well as to steward it’s travel around the country – sharing Tarver’s love letter to this culture with a wide audience.”

– Elizabeth Spungen, Executive Director

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About the Artist

Ron Tarver (b.1957, Fort Gibson, OK; l. Elkins Park, PA), has a BA from Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK, and an MFA from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA. He was a staff photojournalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 32 years, where he won a Pulitzer Prize and awards from World Press Photos, Society of Professional Journalists and National Press Photographers Association. Tarver has received Guggenheim Foundation, Independence Foundation, NEA and Pew Fellowships.

His work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally, including at The Print Center, Philadelphia. It is included in many collections, including the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; Philadelphia Museum of Art; and Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Tarver’s work has been published in Ebony, Jet, Life, National Geographic, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and Time, and has appeared online on Huffington Post and Hyperallergic. He co-authored We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans (2004), which accompanied a traveling exhibition that debuted at the National Constitution Center. His award-winning second book is The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America (2024). Tarver is Associate Professor/Department Chair of Art, Swarthmore College, PA.

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Related Programs

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Gallery Talk & Opening Reception

Thursday, September 10, 2026

5:30pm, Gallery Talks

6 – 7:30pm, Opening Reception and horseback rides with Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club

Ron Tarver in Conversation with Jordan Bullock and Art Burton

Thursday, October 1, 2026

6pm, presented in-person and on Zoom

Moderated by Elizabeth Spungen

Fletcher Street Field Trip and Picnic

Sunday, October 4, 12 – 3pm

At Fletcher Street; ticket required

Public exhibition tour dates will be announced. All of The Print Center’s exhibitions and onsite programs are free and open to the public. For more information, visit printcenter.org.

At Swarthmore College

Black Western Culture Through Music, Film & Art

Various programs from September 3 – October 11, 2026

Visit swarthmore.edu/cooper-series for more information