Photo above: Joe Stahlman holding Eleazar Williams for his daughter, Frieda Schultz.
OLEAN, N.Y. – “Stirring the Pot: Bringing the Wanamaker Photos Home” opened January 21st at the Center Gallery on Jamestown Community College’s Cattaraugus County Campus.
The exhibition will remain on view 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through March 11, with a panel discussion planned for noon-1 p.m. on Feb. 9. The exhibition and discussion are free and open to the public. The Center Gallery is located inside JCC’s College Center at 260 N. Union St. in Olean.
Per JCC COVID-19 protocols, face masks must be worn by attendees, regardless of vaccination status.
Curated by Drs. Fileve Palmer and Joe Stahlman, Stirring the Pot is a digital-repatriation project that uses images from the collection of more than 8,000 photos taken by Joseph Dixon on a then-commercial endeavor to photograph Native American life between 1908 and 1921.
Expanding on the work done on Tuscarora Indian Nation to the other Iroquois nations, Stirring the Pot collected stories from living descendants of the people in the Wanamaker photos, and photographed them with their ancestors. Allowing people to choose their favorite places, adornments, and poses, participants took part in constructing their own visual narratives.
Palmer works as a regional development associate at Southern Tier West and is an adjunct professor of anthropology at JCC. She has more than 20 years experience teaching courses across high school and university. Her research focuses on education related to identity formation and representation. As a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and Fulbright Scholar in 2010 and 2011, respectively, Palmer initiated a youth-led photo-ethnography-project in South Africa that enabled her to use her visual arts training to further explore identity among creole people.
Stahlman is the director of Seneca Nation’s Seneca-Iroquois National Museum-Onöhsagwë:de‘ Culture Center. He is a scholar and researcher of Tuscarora descent. He has more than 20 years of research experience working with First Peoples. His research focuses on culture and history, and ongoing socio-economic and health and wellness related endeavors with Native communities.
Panelists scheduled to participate on Feb. 9 include Dr. Laticia McNaughton (Kanien’kehá:ka – Wolf Clan), an artist, activist, and clinical professor at the University at Buffalo; Patti Fischer (Skarù∙rę – Beaver Clan), a Tuscarora resident and community activist; Brett Maybee (Onöndowa’ga), producer of Gaënö’, a weekly nationally syndicated show with Native Voice: Native American Radio Network; and Carson Waterman (Onöndowa’ga – Snipe Clan), a master painter, activist, and educator.
To learn more about the exhibition, visit www.stirringthepotexhibit.wordpress.com.
