Culture House DC is pleased to announce the opening of Black Cowboy: American Muscle by Brandon Hill.

On March 15, 2025 Culture House unveils Black Cowboy: American Muscle, the latest chapter of Brandon Hill’s ongoing exploration of the significance of African American cowboys in the American West.

The exhibition displays Hill’s extensive multidisciplinary work: A quintessential Brandon Hill mural leads visitors through our revolving public space, the Avant Garden, into the gallery for an immersive exploration of painting, sculpture, and video. 

The installations highlight the immense, yet often overlooked, impacts of African Americans in the West. Hill invites audiences “to challenge how history books and pop culture have shaped, or distorted, our understanding of the American Cowboy” and consider what lessons we can learn from their experiences. 

Black Cowboy examines the marketing fabric of Americana and nostalgia while imagining a modern-day world where the contributions of Black cowboys—many of whom were formerly enslaved or freemen—were never overlooked, erased, or distorted. By offering a modern perspective on their story arcs, the series sheds light on an often-neglected contribution to the creation of the West.  Exploring the heroic stories of maverick cowboys like Bill Pickett, Isom Dart, Nat Love, and those whose names were lost to history. 

The exhibition's subject matter and the project's iterative nature invite us to wonder:

• How might artists uplift and uncover long-neglected stories?

• How might we safeguard stories from erasure? 

The first chapter of Black Cowboy debuted at The Bishop Gallery in Brooklyn, New York (2022). Walt Disney World commissioned Hill to install a new Black Cowboy mural on the Disney Springs Art Walk: A Canvass of Expression, completed in February 2025. 

Gallery hours, receptions, and talks are open to the public.
A list of dates and times is included along with ticket and rsvp links. 

Essential Details

On View……..…………………March 15, 2025 - April 26
Gallery Hours………………….Saturdays from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM or by appointment. 
Exhibition Reception…………Thursday, March 27, from 7:00 - 10:00 PM  
Artist Talk………………………Saturday, April 5, from 12:00-2:00 PM

THE ARTIST
About Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill (b. 1983, Baltimore, MD) draws inspiration from his fascination with materiality, history, and the urban landscape to shape his multidisciplinary art practice. Hill showcases his versatility through works ranging from paintings and portraits to stainless steel and fiberglass sculptures, as well as large-scale murals. Hill has exhibited at The Bishop Gallery, Richard Beavers Gallery, Ron David Studio, The Square, and more. As a muralist and designer, he has collaborated with prominent brands and organizations, including Disney, TikTok, Lululemon, the Washington Capitals, Art Basel Miami, Aspen Ideas Festival, and The Washington Post, among many others nationwide. His work is also part of the permanent collection at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Hill is the former co-founder of DC’s international Umbrella Art Fair and No Kings Collective (2011-2023).

Hill lives and works in Washington, D.C., where his studio, ALL DAY PROJECTS, is based. Follow him on Instagram (@alldaymurals1). 

THE GALLERY 
About Culture House Gallery

Culture House Gallery is a non-profit art gallery that offers rotating exhibitions for emerging artists throughout the DMV and beyond. It is a rare find in the fine art space: artists manage their own sales and receive 100% of sales completed while their work is displayed at Culture House.

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Press
Briget Heidmous
briget@culturehousedc.org

The gallery is open to the public from March 15 - April 26, 2025 on Saturdays from 11 am – 2 pm and by appointment.