Black Cowboys & Rodeo Culture, with Ron Tarver & Ivan McClellan

Top shot © Ron Tarver

Cowboy lore has deep roots in American culture. Yet, black cowboys have lived pretty much under the radar until recently, when songs by pop culture icons Lil Nas X and Beyoncé went viral and catapulted the black western aesthetic into the limelight.

In today’s show, we’re getting the inside scoop from two photographers who’ve been fully immersed in these vibrant communities since long before they became a top fashion trend. Separated by a generation in age and with pictures spanning from film to digital, we follow Ron Tarver and Ivan McClellan from their early years in Oklahoma and Kansas, to the urban stables of Northern Philadelphia, the legendary Roy LeBlanc Rodeo in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and beyond.

Listen in and discover how the popularity of a single newspaper assignment led Ron to the pages of National Geographic and a career defining body of work.

In a similar manner, Ivan’s hunch to act on a chance invitation morphed into a passion project that reconnected him to his midwestern roots and ultimately expanded his role from photographer to that of an entrepreneur and rodeo boss. 

Ever wonder about the funding and stamina required to compete as a rodeo athlete? We take that bull by the horns at the end of the show.

Guests: Ron Tarver & Ivan McClellan
Episode Timeline:

4:09: Ron Tarver and Ivan McClellan’s early memories of cowboy culture during their respective youths in Kansas City and Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.

9:19: Ron’s early story for the Philadelphia Inquirer and his subsequent documentation of black cowboy culture.

15:06: The camera gear and film stock Ron used for his pictures, plus digitizing analog slides using a digital camera, macro lens and bellows system.

20:15: Technical limitations Ron faced when shooting film, and his editing process when working with National Geographic.

23:19: Ivan’s start as a designer, his introduction to photography and the world of black cowboys, and his shooting process at the rodeo.

33:40: The dominance of women within black rodeos, a female horse whisperer, and tips for photographing horses in a rodeo context.

44:34: Episode Break

45:35: The journey behind our guest’s respective books, and Ron’s collaboration with a noted editor to create The Long Ride Home.

51:19: The back story to Ivan’s book—from a self-published Kickstarter release to the editor he worked with to get Eight Seconds published by Damiani.

57:10: Ivan and Ron discuss each other’s finished book projects, questions about model releases, plus the current hunger for black cowboy culture. 

1:05:23: Ivan’s work to promote black rodeo athletes and the economics of competing in this arena.

1:10:39: How Ivan’s life has changed since founding the Eight Seconds rodeo in Portland, Oregon.

1:16:04: The impact of Ivan’s work on the lives of rodeo athletes, and the maximum number of bulls a rodeo athlete can ride in a single day. 

Guest Bios:

Ron Tarver was born and raised in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, and is now based outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During 32 years as a staffer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, he was nominated for three Pulitzer’s and shared the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for public service, in addition to many other accolades.

Tarver’s photographs have been exhibited internationally. His pictures can be found in private, corporate, and museum collections, and have appeared in major publications both in print and online. 

In 2004, he co-authored the book We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, published by Harper Collins, accompanied by a traveling exhibition.

A recipient of a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2001 Pew Fellowship in the Arts, Tarver has also received funding from the NEA, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and an Independence Foundation Fellowship. 

He currently serves as Associate Professor