Join us for a discussion with artist Tom Jones and MFA Senior Curator of Photography Dr. Jane Aspinwall on Saturday, May 13 at 11 am.

For over twenty years, Tom Jones—Ho-Chunk name ChakShepSkaKah (White Eagle)—has created a visual record and exploration of his tribe’s members and culture. Born in North Carolina, Jones lived much of his life outside his ancestral community (the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin) but, as a child, regularly returned to Wisconsin in the summers. In graduate school, Jones began an ongoing photographic essay on the contemporary life of his Ho-Chunk community—beginning first with elders in the tribe. Later series includes veterans’ memorials at the annual Black River Falls Powwow ceremony and elaborately hand-beaded formal portraits that connect past tradition with present.

Jones studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia College in Chicago and has served on the faculty of the former since 2005. He now makes his home in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, giving him a close physical and spiritual connection to Ho-Chunk ancestral lands. Tom Jones: Here We Stand, which originated at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, Wisconsin, is the artist’s first major retrospective. The exhibition was co-curated by Dr. Jane L. Aspinwall, Senior Curator of Photography at the MFA, and Graeme Reid, Director of Exhibitions at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. A catalogue, including a major essay by Aspinwall accompanies the exhibition.

Free for MFA Members; $10 for Not-Yet Members
Registration Required