Ranchos Los Cerritos’ new exhibit highlights Black, Mexican and Indigenous cowboy culture

Following in the leather-clad footsteps of phenomenons like “Cowboy Carter” and “Old Town Road,” Ranchos Los Cerritos will provide a fresh, historically accurate perspective on the American cowboy. 

Ranchos Los Cerritos’ nearly year-long exhibit “Untold Legacies: Rethinking the American Cowboy” will open on July 14, with hopes to challenge the narrative surrounding the “traditional cowboy.” The exhibit will highlight the overlooked legacies of Black, Mexican and Indigenous cowboys with a focus on the local history of Ranchos Los Cerritos. 

“Untold Legacies” combines history, pop culture and modern art while featuring local groups still living the cowboy lifestyle to give residents a holistic perspective on what an American cowboy is. 

“I think for so many people if you say, ‘Close your eyes and think of a cowboy’ … for the most part people are picturing a white man,” Alana Reese, education coordinator for Ranchos Los Cerritos said. “We felt the Rancho had almost an obligation to shed light on the cowboys who had been there all along whose stories have not been shared and encourage visitors to rethink that.”

Ranchos Los Cerritos’ 180-year history includes a time where the site spanned 27 acres and acted as a cattle ranch. Part of the exhibit will focus on the Mexican cowboys, or vaqueros, who helped the Rancho thrive during its early days. 

Residents can also learn about the history of cowboys in a broader perspective, through the different cultures and types of cowboys in American history. “Untold Legacies” will challenge stereotypes surrounding cowboys, specifically the “John Wayne” archetype fueled by westerns throughout the late 1950s and ‘60s. The exhibit will prompt the audience to ask themselves who is missing from the cowboy stories most people grew up with. 

“You see cowboys everywhere; they’re riding their horses along the San Gabriel and LA rivers, they’re in urban streets, they’re in a lot of communities,” said Rancho Los Cerritos Executive Director Alison Bruesehoff. “We typically think of cowboys as something of the past and I think a lot of us have a narrow viewpoint of a cowboy. A cowboy can be many different things.”

“Untold Legacies” will invite the audience into the renaissance of the traditional cowboy, bred through education and pushed by pop culture. Artists like Beyonce, Lil Nas X, Kat & Alex, Carin León and Darius Rucker and movies like “Nope” and “Strange Way of Life” have recently reclaimed cowboy culture through Black and Mexican lenses.

Rancho will also highlight local equestrian groups from Long Beach and Los Angeles still practicing the cowboy lifestyle and continuing the legacy by teaching children in their communities, such as the Compton Junior Equestrians. 

The artistic aspect of the historical exhibit is provided by five local artists: Lorenzo Baker, Hely Omar Gonzalez, Nia S. Lane, Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack, and Brooklyn Sabino Smith. Through painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media, the artists each brought their own perspective of contemporary cowboys to provide a diverse and accurate portrayal of the culture. 

“This exhibition delves into their diverse backgrounds, origins, traditions, and how contemporary artists and equestrian riding groups are preserving the cowboy and vaquero legacy today,” said guest curator Martin Etem in a statement from Rancho Los Cerritos. 

The year-long exhibition is sponsored by the Port of Long Beach, and the Rancho will host various events to accompany the show, such as artist talks, panels, discussions and interactive activities. 

The exhibit’s opening, sponsored by the Arts Council of Long Beach, will take place on July 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 4600 Virginia Road. Residents can hear from the curator, artists, staff and enjoy children’s activities or purchase food and beverages. 

“Untold Legacies” will be open to the public through May 2025. Ranchos Los Cerritos is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, and residents are encouraged to RSVP their admission online.

This article was updated on July 15 to correct Alana Reese’s title as Education Coordinator. The Signal Tribune regrets this error.