Recent visitors to our lounge may have noticed a new addition to the SOAN community: Medicine Man, a sculpture by artist Peter Jones, was unveiled in a ceremony honoring the work and legacy of Carol Ann Lorenz, Associate Professor of Native American Studies.
Medicine Man, by artist Peter Jones
Professor Lorenz served as the curator of Colgate’s Longyear Museum of Anthropology for 27 years, curating more than 100 exhibitions and acquiring thousands of new objects for the museum’s collection. As she left her role as curator and moved to her new position as Director of Colgate’s program in Native American Studies, it was an important moment to recognize the incredible dedication she has given to the Longyear and her work educating students via its collections.
Professor Lorenz speaks at the unveiling of Medicine Man; artist Peter Jones at left
Jones’s Medicine Man, which will be on permanent display in the SOAN lounge, embodies a range of contemporary issues facing Native American communities, including the appropriation and loss of Native traditions, health conditions that disproportionately impact Native populations, and the role of technology in contemporary times. The sculpture is made of a range of materials, including a plastic bottle from Jones’s own medications (see below for the full description).
From the exhibit description:
“Peter B. Jones (Onondaga)
Medicine Man (2015)
Clay, pigment, wood, sinew, plastic medicine bottle, clay pills, copper wire, diabetic test strips, and glass, brass, wood, and plastic beads.
Dedicated in honor of Carol Ann Lorenz in recognition of 27 years of invaluable curatorial service to the Longyear Museum of Anthropology.”
