Ron Tarver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Tarver
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Ronald (Ron) Tarver (born 1957) is an American artist and educator. He was the first Black photographer at the Muskogee Phoenix. He also worked at the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri from 1980 to 1983. After that, he joined The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he worked for over 30 years (1983–2014). Today, Tarver is an Associate Professor of Art, teaching photography at Swarthmore College.
Tarver has photographed many important topics. These include Black cowboys and African American veterans. His photo series The Badlands: In the Grip of ... won Third Prize at the World Press Photo Awards in 1993. He also wrote a book called The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America (2024).
Currently, Tarver is working on a special project called House of the Living. This project is a memorial and community farm. It honors people in Philadelphia who have lost their lives to violence. He is working with Swarthmore College, EMIR Healing Center, and Awbury Arboretum on this project.
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Ron Tarver's Early Life and Career
Ron Tarver was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. His father loved photography and took many pictures of the Black community in Fort Gibson. This inspired Ron's own interest in photography.
Tarver studied at Northeastern State University. After graduating, he became the first Black photographer at the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper. In 1980, he started working at the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri. He stayed there until 1983.
Working at The Philadelphia Inquirer
In 1983, Tarver was hired as a photographer at The Philadelphia Inquirer. He worked there for 32 years. During this time, he covered many different stories. His work included photo essays about the aftermath of war in Beirut. He also photographed conflicts within the Catholic church in Ireland.
In 1992, Tarver photographed communities in Northeast Philadelphia. This series was called The Badlands: In the Grip of .... It brought attention to challenges faced by these communities. The photos led to public discussion and a response from the Philadelphia police. This work later won Third Prize in the Daily Life category at the World Press Photo Awards in 1993.
Major Photography Projects
After the Badlands project, Tarver began photographing urban cowboys in North Philadelphia. This project grew into a nationwide study of Black cowboys. It was called The Long Ride Home: The Black Cowboy Experience in America. This work was supported by a National Geographic Development Grant. It covered cowboys from California to Illinois to Texas. A book based on this project was published in 2024.
In 2002, Tarver photographed 28 African-American veterans. These photos were for a book called We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, from World War II to the War in Iraq. He wrote this book with Yvonne Latty. It was published in 2004 and shown at the National Constitution Center.
In 2012, Tarver was part of a team at the Inquirer. They investigated school violence in Philadelphia's public schools. Their reporting won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Life After The Inquirer
Tarver left the Inquirer in 2014. He then studied for his Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Arts. At the same time, he began teaching photography at Swarthmore College. During this period, he started a project called An Overdue Conversation with My Father. For this, he used and reimagined photos his father took in Oklahoma in the 1940s and 1950s.
In 2016, some of his photos from The Long Ride Home were shown. They were part of the Black Cowboy exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Major publications like The New York Times and The New Yorker have written about his work.
The Long Ride Home Book
In 2024, Tarver published The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America. The book shows the beauty of Black cowboys, from ranches to city streets. It includes 110 photographs taken over 30 years. The book quickly sold out on Amazon and received much praise.
It won several awards, including:
- Best Book in the African-American (non-fiction) category from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
- Best Cover Design (non-fiction) from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
- Silver Medal for Best Book of Photography from the Forward Indies Awards.
- Best Book of Photography from the IPPY Awards.
The book was also a finalist for other awards. The Photo Review said the book shows the Black cowboy's way of life and rich heritage. It also highlights a strong culture of Black-owned ranches and rodeos.
House of the Living Project
Tarver founded the House of the Living. This project is a memorial for people who have lost their lives to violence. It aims to be a peaceful place for families and community members to heal.
House of the Living is a multi-year project. It is a collaboration between EMIR (Every Murder is Real) Healing Center and Swarthmore College. In the first part of the project, they revitalized an abandoned greenhouse. They also interviewed families of victims. They installed 90 engraved panels with portraits and names of victims from Philadelphia. This phase was supported by a grant from Swarthmore College.
Tarver is now working on the second phase of the project. He is collaborating with Swarthmore Assistant Professors Jody Joyner and Sony Devabhaktuni. They are also working with volunteer project coordinator Laura Oliver, EMIR Healing Center, and Awbury Arboretum.
Exhibitions and Collections
Ron Tarver's work has been shown in over 30 solo exhibitions. It has also been part of more than 50 group exhibitions. His photographs are in many private, corporate, and museum collections. These include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the State Museum of Pennsylvania, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
His work is represented by galleries in New York, Atlanta, and Seattle. Tarver has also given talks at places like The Barnes Foundation. He has taught photography at several institutions, including Drury University and the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial.
Awards
- 2024 Winner of Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Best Book in the African American (non-fiction) category, for The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
- 2024 Winner of Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Best Cover Design (non-fiction), for The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
- 2024 Winner of the IPPY Awards for Best Book of Photography, for The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
- 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for photography
- 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, as part of the team covering racialized school violence
- 1993 World Press Photo, Third Prize for Daily Life
