John Willis, Eugene And His Adopted Daughter, Victoria, 1993

John Willis | VIEWS FROM THE RESERVATION

VIEWS FROM THE RESERVATION, an installation by John Willis opens at the NCC West Campus Community Gallery on Monday, October 31, 2016 and runs until Saturday, February 4, 2017. The exhibit features photographs that were made while visiting Pine Ridge Reservation, tribal home of the Oglala Lakota Sioux People. Since 1992, John Willis has been traveling there regularly to visit the Reddest family of Lost Dog Creek. As an outsider, he always considers it an honor to be welcomed into their home.

John Willis, The Mass Gravesite At Wounded Knee From The Massacre Of 1890, 2002

The Mass Gravesite At Wounded Knee From The Massacre Of 1890, 2002

Willis states “knowing the critical debates, which arise with photographers entering the lives of indigenous people living under less fortunate circumstances has made it difficult to allow myself to exhibit the images I make on the Rez. These proud people live in one of the poorest counties in the United States, literally the third world within the borders of the richest country on earth. Among all the poverty and hardship I am drawn by the humble nature and sincere kindness of these proud people. I find visiting them valuable and rejuvenating, for me it is rejuvenating as a reminder of what is really important in life. The images in the exhibition are dedicated to the memory of two elders who befriended Willis, Grandfather Eugene Reddest and Uncle Tommy Crow. I am grateful for their openness and ability to have lived with basic simplicity. It truly was an inspiration to have known them. During one of the last times we shared together Grandfather Eugene wanted to know how I would use the photographs I had made of his family and friends. I let him know I expected they would only be as momentos for his family, friends and myself to keep. He requested that I should try to find ways to use them, which might help his family and people. This exhibit is an early attempt at bringing this work to a point where it may have some value as he hoped. The work here is only a beginning of an ongoing project. I hope to include the voices and images of others as I continue to work.”

John Willis is the co-founder and executive director of In-Sight Photography Project, a volunteer program offering free classes to Vermont youth, as well the co-founder and co-director of Exposures Project, a cross Cultural based photography program for youth from Vermont, New York City, The Navajo Tribe, Arizona and The Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge South Dakota. He is a full-time faculty member at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont where he teaches photography. Willis holds a B.A. from The Evergreen State College, and an M.F.A. from The Rhode Island School of Design.

The NCC Art Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 10:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed on Sunday. For further information contact Susan Hardesty, Director of the NCC Art Gallery, at shardesty@norwalk.edu or 857.7197.

John Willis | VIEWS FROM THE RESERVATION

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