Jeff Thomas
Jeff Thomas (born 1956) is an Onondaga Nation photographer, curator, and cultural theorist who works and lives in Ottawa, Ontario. Thomas is known for his photographic work that addresses and interrogates the place of First Nations people in contemporary Canadian society. Often, his works explore the disjuncture between depictions he sees of Indigenous people as relics of the past (for instance, in museums), and contemporary Indigenous life as he views it.
Also recorded as Jeffrey M. Thomas
Jeff Thomas
- Name
- Jeff Thomas
- Born
- 1956
- Birthplace
- Buffalo, New York, U.S.
- Awards
- Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- artist · photographer · cartographer · theorist
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Jeff Thomas (born 1956) is an Onondaga Nation photographer, curator, and cultural theorist who works and lives in Ottawa, Ontario. Thomas is known for his photographic work that addresses and interrogates the place of First Nations people in contemporary Canadian society. Often, his works explore the disjuncture between depictions he sees of Indigenous people as relics of the past (for instance, in museums), and contemporary Indigenous life as he views it.
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Jeff Thomas (born 1956) is an artist, cartographer and photographer, among other activities, of American nationality. The artist was born in Buffalo. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Biography
Biography
His work includes the "Indians on Tour" series began in 2000, in which stereotypical "Indian" figurines are posed against natural or urban landscapes, otherwise against historical monuments and contemporary culture, as Thomas' photographs document First Nations people. In his "Vanishing Race" series, he depicts encounters with stereotypical depictions of Indigeneity. He is the father of Ehren "Bear Witness" Thomas of the musical group The Halluci Nation (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red.)
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jeff Thomas • Born — 1956 • Birthplace — Buffalo, New York, U.S. • Awards — Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts
Early life
Early life
Thomas was born in 1956 in Buffalo, New York. Growing up, he spent time in Buffalo as well as the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve.
Photographic career
Photographic career
Thomas' photographic practice is primarily concerned with showing the perspective of an "urban Iroquoian person," and what he calls “symbols of Indian-ness.” His work has been shown in galleries and museums across Canada, as well as in the United States and parts of Europe. In 1997, Thomas was featured in Ali Kazimi's documentary film, "Shooting Indians: A Journey with Jeffrey Thomas," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Selected solo exhibitions
Selected solo exhibitions
• 2024: Stories My Father Couldnt Tell Me: Jeff Thomas Origin, Ottawa Art Gallery • 2008: Com·mem·o·ra·tion, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Ontario • 2008: Who’s your Daddy?: Four Hundred Years Later, Karsh/Mason Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario • 2008: Don’t Mess with the Pediment, Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto • 2008: Drive By: A Road Trip with Jeff Thomas, University of Toronto Art Centre, Toronto, Ontario • 2007: Jeff Thomas: Traces of Iroquois Medicine, Ontario Museum of Archaeology, London, Ontario • 2006: Jeff Thomas: A Study of Indian-ness, Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta; Grunt Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia • 2004–2005: Jeff Thomas: A Study of Indian-ness, Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Brandon, Winnipeg; Regina, Saskatchewan; Toronto, Ontario • 2004: Scouting for Indians, the Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario • 2001: Scouting for Indians, Artspace, Peterborough, Ontario; American Community House, New York City • 2001: Lurking in the Shadows, Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland • 2001: Geronimo Was in Here, The Buffalo Arts Studio, Buffalo, New York • 2000: Scouting for Indians, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1956
Jeff Thomas born at Buffalo.
Collections
• Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa • Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa • Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa • Library and Archives Canada Ottawa • Oakville Galleries, Oakville, Ontario • Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, B.C. • National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa • MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Ontario • Museum of the American Indian Washington • Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne • Museum der Weltkulturen Frankfurt • The British Museum, London • Ottawa Art Gallery • Winnipeg Art Gallery • Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, Ontario
Awards
In 2008, Thomas was awarded the Karsh Award in Photography. He was a recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2019.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."Jeff Thomas’s three decades of ‘Bear Portraits’ trace the evolution of his son from child to grown up member of A Tribe Called Red". National Post, August 12, 2015.
- 2."'Urban Iroquois' photographer Jeff Thomas feels he's finally kept the promise he made 40 years ago" . Q, March 18, 2019.
- 3.Bassnett, Sarah; Parsons, Sarah. Photography in Canada, 1839–1989: An Illustrated History. Art Canada Institute. 2023. 978-1-4871-0309-5.
- 4."Governor General’s Award Winners Announced". Canadian Art, February 13, 2019.
- 5.Cowie, Del. The Halluci Nation (A Tribe Called Red). The Canadian Encyclopedia. October 21, 2021.
- 6.l’UQAM, Galerie de. 1915 – Artist Greg Hill in His Cereal Box Canoe by Jeff Thomas. January 1, 2017.
- 7.National Gallery of Canada. Jeff Thomas. www.gallery.ca.
- 8.Jeff Thomas: In Situ.
- 9.Jeff Thomas photographs · SOVA. sova.si.edu.
- 10.Collections Online | British Museum. www.britishmuseum.org.
- 11.Firestone Collection of Canadian Art & Ottawa Art Gallery's Permanent Collection. oaggao.ca Dead link. January 2026.
- 12.OAAG. Exhibitions. oaggao.ca.
- 13."Photographer Jeff Thomas Wins Governor General’s Award" . PhotoLife, February 28, 2019.
- 14.Loft, Steven, "Acquisition Proposal for Jeffrey Thomas’s The Delegate at the Highway 17 Hiawatha Wampum Belt, Arnprior, Ontario and The Delegate Visits London England, King Street," accession #42491 and #42492, Curatorial File, National Gallery of Canada.
References
Citations
References
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