#ivan mcclellan

[odinsblog]

It wasn't a place that we felt like we belonged.

All of this beauty and energy and environment just stuck to me.

I saw thousands of Black cowboys and they were doing the Cupid Shuffle in the desert and they were cooking turkey legs. And there were Black folks dressed like traditional cowboys. There were also Black folks riding their horses in Jordans and women riding with their braids blowing behind them and their hands with long acrylic nails clutching the reins.

There are Black cowboys pretty much everywhere. I mean, there are Black cowboys here in Portland, Oregon, where I live, which I think is the last place that I would have expected to find them.

I went all the way to Oklahoma to realize that there were cowboys up the road from me who have been there for four generations ... You'd be hard pressed to find a part of America where there wasn't at least some some portion of this culture.

Up until a few years ago, I really thought that term cowboy was a joke when applied to a Black person.

But ultimately, cowboy became a shorthand for our noblest ideals.

A lot of these things our popular culture is hesitant to attribute to a Black person. So I think to have a cowboy rushing in, saving the day with a Black face just didn't jibe with the stories that Hollywood was trying to tell. I think it's erasure. I think it's at best, laziness, at worst, very intentional and malicious. But I'm excited to see that transforming before my eyes.

—Ivan McClellan

[thechanelmuse]

The Inaugural Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo 

Photographer Ivan McClellan held his first annual Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo in Portland, Oregon in June 2023 🥳. He’s been documenting Black American cowboys and cowgirls all around the country at some of our oldest rodeos, trails and elsewhere for years. Our long-standing tradition dating back to the 1800s. It’s only right Ivan got his own.

This photoset is just some of the photos Ivan’s released thus far. He’ll prob release them all in a new book. 

If you’re new to his work, I’ve posted his photography on this site before. (HERE)

[federer7]

Kortnee Solomon, Hempstead, Texas, 2020

Photo: Ivan McClellan

[yallmeansall]

Ouncie Mitchell, photography by Ivan McClellan

[guy60660]

Ivan McClellan | The Guardian

[cosmicanger]

ivan mcclellan

[belovedbluv]

Ivan Mclellan

[onegirlsillustratedideal]

ivan mcclellan

[itscolossal]

‘Eight Seconds’ Is Photographer Ivan McClellan’s Love Letter to Black Rodeo Culture

[countryboybychoice]

Source: Ivan McClellan

[wyldwesternorchidology]

Photography by Ivan McClellan

Source: @ eightsecs on Instagram

[marquiscampbell]

Black rodeo culture has been overlooked. This photographer wants to change that

[yallmeansall]

Buffalo Soldiers, photography by Ivan McClellan

[artistmichaelm]

‘Eight Seconds’ Is Photographer Ivan McClellan’s Love Letter to Black Rodeo Culture

ArtNews http://dlvr.it/T3Y9ZF See More at: https://artistmichaelm.tumblr.com

[msamba]

'Eight Seconds' Is Photographer Ivan McClellan's Love Letter to Black Rodeo Culture | Colossal

MARCH 3, 2024 GRACE EBERT Rodney & RJ, McCalla, Alabama. All images © Ivan McClellan, courtesy of Damiani The book comprises 118 photos by Ivan McClellan, who’s spent nearly a decade documenting the lives of the Black rodeo community. In 1982, Charles Sampson became the first Black man to win the world championship bull-riding competition. Becoming a cowboy was his childhood dream, and despite…

[wobnebmag]

Eiteljorg Museum Welcomes Photojournalist Ivan McClellan's Artwork into Permanent Collection

Eiteljorg Museum Welcomes Photojournalist Ivan McClellan's Artwork into Permanent Collection :: 8 Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture

Indianapolis, IN – The Eiteljorg Museum is thrilled to announce the addition of three captivating artworks by esteemed photojournalist Ivan McClellan to its permanent collection. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the museum generously invited the public to a special unveiling event and an engaging evening filled with insightful discussions, a VIP preview reception, and an exclusive book…