Collection: Ron Tarver

Bio

Ron Tarver holds a BA in Journalism and Graphic Arts from Northeastern State University and an MFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. An Associate Professor of Art at Swarthmore College, Tarver previously served as a staff photojournalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 32 years, where he shared the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for a series on school violence and earned multiple nominations and awards, including from World Press Photos and the National Press Photographers Association. His work has appeared in major publications like National Geographic and Ebony, and he co-authored the book We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans. A distinguished fine art photographer, Tarver has received Guggenheim and Pew Fellowships, along with grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. He is a Fellow of the Center for Emerging Visual Artists, has been featured in over 30 solo and 50 group exhibitions, and his work is held in notable collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His work is represented by the Robin Rice Gallery in New York and Grand Image in Seattle.

Artist Statement

"From the concrete jungles of the Northeast to the endless skies of the great West, and all that lays in between, the cowboy spirit thrives. The Long Ride Home comprises of photos exploring the lives of Black cowboys - men, women, and children. These are the multifaceted narratives intentionally forgotten in the great American myth of the West. The portraits reaffirm this thriving culture of Black owned ranches, rodeo operations, parades, inner-city cowboys, retired cowhands and young rodeo clowns. Few people are aware of the historical role that Black cowboys have played in the West, while still others question their authenticity. The image of the white male cowboy remains deeply ingrained in American culture, a vision rooted in segregation and anti-immigrant rhetoric."