For Capton, who is an artist herself, working on this exhibition affirmed how art can be a powerful vehicle in storytelling.
“A large part of colonialism relates to a removal of Indigenous identity and presence in an area, and this exhibition actively combats that through the presentation of Indigenous stories and art,” says Capton. “Being a part of this project, curating it with other Indigenous students on campus and collaborating with Peter was incredibly inspiring as a Haudenosaunee artist myself.”
The exhibition is on view at the SU Art Museum during museum hours, Tuesday through Sunday. Dupree and Capton, along with professors Stevens and Scott, will host a “Conversation With the Curators” from noon to 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the museum. That event is open to the public.
In addition to Capton and Dupree, the curatorial team also included Anthony V. Ornelaz (Diné, pursuing an M.F.A. in creative writing in A&S), Ana Borja Armas (Quechua, pursuing a Ph.D. in cultural foundations of education in the School of Education) and Jaden N. Dagenais (pursuing a master’s in art history in A&S and a master’s in library and information studies in the iSchool). Armas and Scott have also been working with the museum’s education team to bring public school students to the exhibition, including students from the Onondaga Nation School, who met with Jones during their visit.
Continuity, Innovation and Resistance was made possible by support from a Humanities New York Action Grant, a mini-grant from the Engaged Humanities Network (EHN), and Syracuse University SOURCE grants, as well as by co-sponsorship from the Humanities Center (Syracuse Symposium), College of Arts and Sciences, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Hendricks Chapel, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Department of Art and Music Histories, and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program.
