Delta Hill Riders, October 2–November 13, 2020
Young Riders, 2018, by Rory Doyle. D’Kamiyon Johnson and Carlos Smith share a horse at a rodeo in Greenville, Mississippi.
Featuring artist Rory Doyle
The Arts Council would like to thank Sara Lea for her generous support of the Delta Hill Riders exhibition.
Delta Hill Riders is an ongoing documentary photography project that aims to tell a more realistic and diverse story about black cowboys today by focusing on African-American cowboys and cowgirls in the Mississippi Delta. The Mississippi Delta is a flat farming region in the deep South between Memphis, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. The hills to the east rise dramatically from the flat delta and are the setting for many trail rides.
Photographer Rory Doyle says his project “resists both historical and contemporary stereotypes and ultimately, the project aims to press against my own old archetypes of who could and could not be a cowboy, and what it means to be black in Mississippi, while uplifting the voices of my subjects.” Many of these photos were taken on weekend trail rides organized by deeply-rooted riding clubs to bring family and friends together for riding, socializing, food, music and sharing of good times.
Artspace Gallery will be open Tuesday through Friday 10 to 5 p.m., or by appointment.
If you are not available to come into the gallery, please see the online program with all the pieces featured in the exhibition.
More information on Rory Doyle, please click here to be directed to his website.
Click below to see a video on the Smith family, founders of the Delta Hill Riders, and artist Rory Doyle in a candid interview from Cleveland, Mississippi.