Multidisciplinary artist Brandon Hill dissects the notion of heroism in American society in the exhibition, Black Cowboy. An offering of over 25 mixed medium works and sculptures. Hill shows his range with works from two-dimensional acrylic paint on canvas, to portraits, stainless steel and fiber glass sculptures and installation. In the last few years, we’ve heard chants of “representation matters” and have seen the rise in the Black hero in movies like Black Panther but it’s been a long time coming before these strides were made. This is most in part to the authors of the stories of heroism told to us. In Black Cowboy Brandon explores the nuances of the way the Black hero was/is conveyed. The exhibition tackles three main themes: who gets to decide who our heroes are, the paradox of patriotism, and debunking the myths of the American Cowboy. “I want viewers to be open to acknowledging and learning the roles Black Americans have played in real life heroic stories throughout American history. When diving deeper we can look at Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass as patriots. We’ve been conditioned to think our heroes are only of a certain race. The erasure of our stories in mainstream movies, books and even academic lessons have created a skewed perception of reality and of us as a people. I implore everyone to dig deeper.”