MCA Denver’s new exhibition explores the legend of the cowboy

In 2019 Emmanuel David, a gender and sexuality researcher at CU Boulder, and Yumi Roth, a sculpture professor at CU Boulder, were searching the archives for a Filipino presence in Colorado. Nestled into an 1899 routebook of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, the world-famous traveling show, David found the names of three Filipino Rough Riders: Ysidora Alcantara, Felix Alcantara, and Geronimo Ynosincio. 

From this discovery, David and Roth developed a traveling art project called “We Are Coming,” a nod to Buffalo Bill’s promotional poster from the time that declared “I am coming,” which displays the three names on vintage theater marquis in towns where the show historically stopped.

“When we think about Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, we think about the personage of Buffalo…