Curated by Vania Kinard and former Artistic Director Meg Glaser, the"I'm Gonna Take My Horse..." exhibition at the Western Folklife Center brings together folk art, pop art, historical ephemera, and contemporary photography to tell the story of a group of cowboys whose experiences often get lost in the larger Western narrative. The exhibition also draws heavily from music. Records from Lead Belly and Cisco Houston are displayed in cases next to musicians’ articles of clothing and traditional folk instruments like cow rib bones. Two pieces of music are particularly prominent: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”—which lent the title for the exhibition (“I’m Gonna Take My Horse”) and Dom Flemons’ Black Cowboys album, which inspired the Gathering’s theme this year.                                                                                                                          ***

The past meets present in exhibitions at the Western Folklife Center’s Wiegand Gallery that opened during the 2020 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Visitors are invited to take an artful and educational journey from South to West, through various exhibitions reflecting the Gathering’s focus on Black cowboys. There is something for everyone in the Wiegand Gallery. Fabric arts fans will want to check out selections from master quilter Marion Coleman’s Blacks in the West series. Marion’s “Trail Blazers” is featured on the 2020 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering poster. History buffs will enjoy African American Western Pioneers, Past and Present, a photo montage presentation and timeline curated by Vania Kinard, as well as special displays honoring significant western characters and events.

EXHIBIT: February 2020- June 2020