Hudson River Museum Presents “Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver” and “Robert Peterson: Journeys”

Hudson River Museum Presents Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver and Robert Peterson: Journeys
The Hudson River Museum is proud to present two groundbreaking exhibitions that celebrate the often overlooked aspects of Black life and culture.

YONKERS, NY, April 27, 2026—The Hudson River Museum is proud to present two groundbreaking exhibitions opening to the public on Friday, May 29 that celebrate the often overlooked aspects of Black life and culture. Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver—the first museum exhibition of this series—illuminates a rich visual narrative of Black cowboy life on ranches, at rodeos, and in urban streetscapes, documented by Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Ron Tarver. In Robert Peterson: Journeys, Oklahoma-based artist Robert Peterson elevates everyday figures into inspiring, heroic archetypes—hardworking mothers, protective fathers, loyal siblings—and, in the process, expands the thematic parameters of classical portraiture. The exhibitions will be on view from May 29 through August 30, 2026.

Masha Turchinsky, Anita K. Hersh Director and CEO states, “Through stunning photography and portraiture, these exhibitions illuminate the depth and diversity of Black life across geographies and generations of the United States. They underscore the Hudson River Museum’s commitment to elevating underrepresented voices and broadening the narratives that shape our understanding of American art and culture. We are thrilled and honored to share the exquisite work of Ron Tarver and Robert Peterson with new audiences.”

Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver

From before the Civil War, Black cowboys played an active role in the building of the American West working alongside white and brown cowboys wrangling horses, branding cattle, and steering herds long distances on cattle drives. They lived a nomadic and often lonely life—one that helped shape the myth of the American cowboy in popular culture as a symbol of this country’s individualism and freedom. Yet, until recently, when Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album and Pharrell Williams’s Louis Vuitton collection shined a spotlight on the proud history of Black cowboys, their existence has seldom been acknowledged.

Black Cowboys in America highlights more than forty photographs from Tarver’s 1990s series for The Philadelphia Inquirer, which documented the rich visual narrative of Black cowboy life. Together, the photographs affirm the thriving culture of Black-owned ranches, rodeo operations, parades, inner-city riders, and retired cowhands—and invites deeper conversation about what it means to be an American cowboy. Tarver’s photographs are a tribute to a way of life both old and evolving. They capture the beauty, romance, and visual poetry of cowboy culture while reflecting a renewed interest within the Black community in reclaiming its Western roots. Though quick to point out that he is not a cowboy, Tarver was born in Oklahoma and his grandfather was a cowboy, so he worked on farms and ranches as a teenager, even rounding up cattle on a dirtbike.

“This project has allowed me to reflect on my personal heritage of growing up in the west,” states Ron 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.”

A Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer, Ron Tarver distinguished himself in the fields of photojournalism and fine-art photography on the staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer for thirty-two years. Tarver’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in over thirty solo and fifty group exhibitions. It is included in many private, corporate, and museum collections, including Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, and many other corporate and private collections. Tarver is the recipient of a John S. Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Currently, he is an associate professor of art at Swarthmore College.

The exhibition is accompanied by the catalog, The Long Ride Home: The Black Cowboy Experience in America(George F. Thompson Publishing, 2024) by Ron Tarver, with an essay by Art T. Burton, an expert on the history of Black cowboys. This 160-page, fully illustrated book features more than one hundred photographs from Tarver’s series. The book has won a number of awards, including the 2025 Gold IPPY Award for Photography, the 2025 Next Generation Indy Book Award Winner in the African American (non-fiction) category and best cover design (non-fiction), and Foreword’s Indies Silver Medal for Best Book of Photography.

This exhibition is sponsored by Peter French, DeWayne N. Phillips and Caroline A. Wamsler, PhD, Nicholas C. Pierce and Donna Peterson, and Elizabeth Wedemeyer and John Gunther-Mohr. Additional sponsorship provided by Clare Bell, Cheryl Calegari, and Brian Dore.

Support provided by New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader.

Exhibitions are made possible in part by assistance provided by the County of Westchester and the City of Yonkers.

Robert Peterson: Journeys

Robert Peterson’s monumental yet deeply intimate portraits are luminous love letters to contemporary Black life. His sitters catch our gaze with striking immediacy, asserting their identity, dignity, and power while inviting our sustained contemplation.

Building on an early interest in fashion illustration, the Oklahoma-based artist first gained recognition on social media for celebrity portraits that resonate with lifelike energy and expressive brushwork. This initial success emboldened a shift toward subjects rooted in personal experience, leading to the creation of portraits that celebrate the grace and dignity found within familial bonds and community.

“My work begins with a desire to honor people I know and the experiences that have shaped me,” states Robert Peterson. “Through these portraits, I’m exploring what it means to be seen, to carry strength quietly, and to exist with dignity in a world that doesn’t always make space for it.”

Peterson’s creative process often begins with a personal memory or a desire to honor a specific friend or family member. He then seeks out models for a photoshoot to find the perfect pose and expression. Working from black-and-white photographs, the artist then intuitively introduces a rich palette into the work, lavishing attention on the beauty of Black skin with sensual touches of blues and golds.

The impact and accessibility of Peterson’s work has earned him national recognition. In 2017, he won a Spotlight Artist award for a painting of President Barack and Michelle Obama at the Spectrum Miami art show. The United States Postal Service commissioned him to portray iconic author Ernest J. Gaines for the Black Heritage stamp series. His paintings are in private and public collections across the country, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Wichita Art Museum in Kansas, and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis.

Support for the exhibition is generously provided by Art Bridges.

This exhibition is sponsored by Peter French, DeWayne N. Phillips and Caroline A. Wamsler, PhD, Nicholas C. Pierce and Donna Peterson, and Elizabeth Wedemeyer and John Gunther-Mohr. Additional sponsorship provided by Clare Bell, Cheryl Calegari, and Brian Dore.

Support provided by New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader.

Exhibitions are made possible in part by assistance provided by the County of Westchester and the City of Yonkers.

Related Programs

Curator Tour of Black Cowboys in America and Journeys
Sunday, May 31, 2pm
Join Laura Vookles, Chair of the Curatorial Department, and Shilpi Chandra, Assistant Curator, as they discuss Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver and Robert Peterson: Journeys.

Black Cowboys in America with Ron Tarver and Jordan Bullock
Sunday, June 14, 2pm
Join Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Ron Tarver and Philadelphia-based racehorse trainer Jordan Bullock for an in-depth conversation about the origins of this groundbreaking exhibition.

Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys
Friday, July 17, 8pm
“The American Songster®” Don Flemons presents a live performance of songs from his Grammy-nominated album, interwoven with scenes from the iconic 1939 film, The Bronze Buckaroo.

Talk and Tour with Ron Tarver and Robert Peterson
Saturday, July 18, 2pm
Peterson and Tarver will lead a talk and gallery tour exploring Black cowboy heritage from historical and contemporary perspectives.

Portraiture Workshops with Artists Ron Tarver and Robert Peterson
Sunday, July 19. 1:30–4pm
Examine the emotional, social, and historical relationships between humans and horses in art with a special portraiture workshop—combining approaches from photography and painting.

A Natural Pairing: People and Horses
Saturday, July 25, 2pm
Explore the historical, cultural, and therapeutic connections between humans and horses in an illustrated talk by Patricia E. Kelly, President and CEO of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. (EHI), Equestrian and Therapeutic Center in Hartford, CT.

Museum Highlights Tour
Fridays in June & July, 3pm
Join a docent-led tour featuring current exhibitions, including Black Cowboys in America: Photographs by Ron Tarver and Robert Peterson: Journeys.

Family Day: Horsing Around!
Saturday, August 1, 11am–5pm
Inspired by our special exhibitions, this fun family day will feature pony rides (ticketed) in the Museum’s courtyard!

Press contact:
Jeana Wunderlich
jwunderlich@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x240

Samantha Hoover
shoover@hrm.org
(914) 963-4550 x216

Read the Press Release