The new Black West Photographs from America's only touring Black rodeo

Gabriela Hasbun

Book - 2022

"A powerful symbol of self-reliance, strength, and determination, the Black cowboy is a figure commonly overlooked in the histories of the American West. Held annually in cities across the United States, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) honors the historic accomplishments of Black cowboys and fosters a vibrant community dedicated to continuing that legacy. Bay Area photographer Gabriela Hasbun has spent more than a decade photographing this beloved event in the Oakland hills. Her images capture the joy and excitement of performers and audience members, showcasing the daring feats, spectacular outfits, and welcoming atmosphere that make the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo an unmissable experience. In addition to Hasbun's ...photographs, The New Black West features quotes and stories from the cowboys themselves, and a foreword from the Oakland rodeo's regional manager, Jeff Douvel"--

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Subjects
Genres
Photobooks
Published
San Francisco : Chronicle Books 2022.
Language
English
Main Author
Gabriela Hasbun (author)
Physical Description
128 pages : color illustrations ; 29 cm
ISBN
9781797208893
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Photographer Hasbun celebrates in her evocative debut the "self-reliance, strength, and determination the cowboy" with stirring images of one historic rodeo's Black riders. Much in the same spirit as late historian William Loren Katz's The Black West, Hasbun commemorates the historically overlooked yet rich legacy of Black American cowboys with photos she took of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, "the nation's only touring African American rodeo." Readers are treated to rodeo pageantry at its finest: in one image, riders "glam up" to parade their horses at the BPIR in 2019, while a horse named Hercules dons a Louis Vuitton saddle. As Hasbun writes, "Not only are the riders inventing a new aesthetic, but they are exploring what it means to be a cowboy in contemporary America." Equally gripping is the emotion and pride on display, as in one image of a mother-daughter team beaming with joy while spectating from the sidelines, and another of a boy from an at-risk youth mentoring program showing off his roping skills. Reflecting on riding through a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest, Brianna Noble holds that "nobody can ignore a Black woman on a horse." Echoing that powerful sentiment, this work never ceases to demand one's attention. (Apr.)

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