ALBANY INSTITUTE OF HISTORY & ART TO OPEN EXHIBITION

CELEBRATING NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE

ALBANY, NY—On Saturday, March 10, 2007, the Albany Institute of History & Art will open the exhibition IROQUOIS GAMES AND DANCES: Paintings by Tom Two Arrows.  The exhibition will showcase the works of Albany artist Thomas J. Dorsey, (1920-1993), also known by his Indian name Tom Two Arrows.

The documentary nature of these paintings reveals Dorsey’s first-hand knowledge of the subject matter and his interest in presenting to the viewer the richness and vitality of traditional Iroquois culture.  Commentaries will accompany each of the paintings that clearly show an awareness of issues of identity and empowerment for native people that remain relevant today.

At the age of 21, Dorsey, a member of the Delaware (Lenni-Lenapee) tribe and adopted by the Ondondagas (an Iroquois tribe), was commissioned by the Albany Institute of History & Art to create a series of paintings depicting Iroquois games and dances as result of the interest and enthusiasm of John D. Hatch, Jr. who served as Director from 1940 – 1948.  While working on this project, Dorsey spent six weeks on the Ondondaga reservation in Nedrow, near Syracuse, New York.

In 1942, his exhibition Iroquois Games and Dances by Tom Two Arrows, was shown at the Albany Institute.  For the next two years the exhibition traveled to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Museum of American Indian, New York City; Denver Art Museum, Southern Plains Indian Museuml Andarko, Olklahoma; and the Rochester Museum and Science Center under the Auspices of the American Federation of the Arts.

Rather than showing Iroquois games and dances as relics of the past, Dorsey argues through his images and text that “the Iroquois, or as they call themselves, the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), are a powerful and sovereign political force in America Today.”

IROQUOIS GAMES AND DANCES: Paintings by Tom Two Arrows will be on display at the Albany Institute of History & Art through December 2007.  For more information on this exhibition, please call 518.463.4478 or visit www.albanyinstitute.org

IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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Founded in 1791, the Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a 501(c) 3 cultural and educational institution dedicated to public service.  As a museum, its mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the art, history and culture of Albany and the upper Hudson Valley region from the 17th century to the present.  AIHA acquires collections, conducts research, produces publications, and offers a wide range of exhibitions, educational and public programs that appeal to diverse audiences ranging from pre-K to senior citizens.  The museum is open year round, Wednesday-Sunday. Admission is free to members and children under 6, $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students and $4 for children ages 6-12.  The Albany Institute of History & Art is accredited by the American Association of Museums and chartered by the New York State Department of Education.