Tom Jones II photographic prints from "Ho-Chunk People" series

Scope and Contents

This collection includes eight signed photographic prints made by Ho-Chunk artist Tom Jones between 1998 and 2001. The prints are large format, black and white, silver gelatin prints either 18 x 22 inches or 16 x 20 inches.

The photographs from the "Ho-Chunk People" series, which documents the contemporary life of members of the Ho Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, include portraits of Nina Cleveland, Dorothy Crowfreather, James Hill, Jim Funmaker (Choka), Herb Goodbear, and Bill O'Brian. There is also a photographic print from the Tree Marker series and one that shows a ceremonial meal set up in front of a longhouse.

Catalog numbers: P28507-P28511, P32369-P32371.

Artist Statement on the "Ho-Chunk People" series

"Inside The Ho-Chunk People. For the past three years I have been working on a body of work photographing the contemporary life of my tribe, the Ho Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. By doing so, I hope to give both the tribe and the outside world the perspective from someone who comes from within the Ho Chunk community. Traditionally, photographs of the Native American Indian are taken by outsiders. We have generally been represented with beads and feathers, widely known through the extraordinary photographic portrayals of Edward Curtis. While this has been an aspect of our life, like many Native American Indians the Ho Chunk People still adhere to traditional ways inspite of adapting to the white culture that surrounds them. The emphasis of my current body of work is focused on the members of my tribe and the environments in which they live, giving a name and face to the individuals and their way of life in our own time. First and foremost, I am ever mindful of my responsibility to the tribe by doing this work to help carry on a sense of pride about who and what we are as a people."

Tom Jones, Artist's statement for the Exhibition "The Ho-Chunk People Photographs by Tom Jones" Nov, 2001, Rochester Art Center.

Arrangement

Arranged numerically by catalog number.

Biographical / Historical

Tom Jones (Professor of Photography, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an artist, curator, writer, and educator. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois.

Jones' artwork is a commentary on American Indian identity, experience and perception. He is examining how American Indian culture is represented through popular culture and raises questions about these depictions of identity by non-natives and Natives alike. He continues to work on an ongoing photographic essay on the contemporary life of his tribe, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin.

Jones co-authored the book "People of the Big Voice, Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1943." He is the co-curator for the exhibition and contributing author to the book, "For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw" for the National Museum of the American Indian. His artwork is in numerous private and public collections, most notably: The National Museum of the American Indian, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, The Nerman Museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Museum of Contemporary of Native Arts, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and Microsoft.