Jeff Thomas: Traces of Iroquois Medicine
April 10 - August 10, 2007
The University of Western Ontario’s Museum Studies students, with the Museum of Ontario Archaeology, proudly present contemporary First Nations artist, Jeff Thomas. To communicate an understanding of Iroquois medicinal practices and culture, we are pleased to present an exhibition of selected artifacts from the museum, combined with photographs of contemporary representations of First Nations’, attempting to connect new meanings through an artist’s journey.
Jeff Thomas: Traces of Iroquois Medicine is an exhibition that explores the preservation of a history through the presentation of rescued artifacts from the Lawson Indian Village; we learn how Thomas responds to the site and to the artifacts with his personal archaeology. In this endeavor to abolish Native stereotypes and discover a Native past in an urban center, Thomas’ intervention creates a relationship with the artifacts, the history and with the community of London, Ontario. Using a Global Positioning System (GPS), Thomas maps his journey from his home in Ottawa to the historical Lawson site, exploring contemporary meanings of Native imagery with a living culture.
Jeff Thomas is an Iroquois/Onondaga curator, photographer and cultural analyst living in Ottawa. His most recent project “Shelly Niro and Jeff Thomas, Contemporary Voices” is part of a significant exhibition at the Canada House in London, England. His work in Canada, the United States and Europe, is featured in collections of major institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian and the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne. His work focuses on the exploration of historical and cultural resources to bring voices, stories and perspectives into the present. Thomas’s ongoing practice is centered on the exploration of urban Indian-ness, and historical images of First Nations People.
The Museum of Ontario Archaeology has been dedicated to preserving the history of the human occupation of Southwestern Ontario over the last 11,000 years. Located beside the Lawson Prehistoric Iroquoian Village, a site occupied by the Neutral Iroquoians in the 16th century A.D. The museum provides a unique cultural experience through its study and display, interpretation of Neutral Iroquoian culture.
A programme of selected film and video will accompany the exhibition.
For information on Jeff Thomas, visit http://www.scoutingforindians.com
Media contact: Denise Frimer dsfrimer@yahoo.com
