Reed devoted years of his life photographing American Indians and received significant contemporary critical acclaim, yet today his legacy remains largely unknown. As a result, retired business executive Ernest R. Lawrence authored a biography titled, Alone With the Past: The Life and Photographic Art of Roland W. Reed in 2012 and brought the artist to our attention. While researching his book, Lawrence worked extensively with Leon Kramer of Kramer Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota who maintains the largest Reed archive in the country. Both Ernie Lawrence and the Kramer Gallery generously provided the CSPM with Reed materials for this exhibit. However, as we look at these photographs today, they are deeply problematic. Reed constructed romantic scenes that situated American Indians in an imagined past versus contemporary reality. In other words, Reed took photographs of American Indians that were created or posed according to his own memory or artistic vision. They do not represent indigenous people as they were in the early twentieth century, but how they perhaps used to be. As a result, the images can create misunderstandings, myths, and a false sense of history. The [Dis]Information exhibit will encourage visitors to examine the role “retrospective photography” plays in shaping our understanding or misunderstandings of American Indians. Reed constructed romantic scenes that situated American Indians in an imagined past versus contemporary reality. To accomplish this goal, the CSPM is honored to work with Guest Curator, Gregg Deal, Pyramid Lake Paiute, an extraordinary artist and activist whose work challenges misconceptions of indigenous people and asks viewers to reexamine stereotypes. It is essential that the voices of indigenous people be heard in museums in the twenty-first century. Instead of telling history about them, this exhibit places the indigenous perspective in the forefront. Gregg Deal provides us with words, images and ideas about how to interpret and provide meaning to Roland Reed’s photographs. It will be Deal’s voice that you hear, see and read in the [Dis]Information exhibit. Filming the [Dis]Information gallery introduction video with Guest Curator Gregg Deal. Also pictured, Jennifer Schreuder (on left) and Frank Bokoski behind the camera, both with the City of Colorado Springs Public Communications, SpringsTV team. Exhibit open March 30, 2019 – January 5, 2020 MUSELETTER MAR 2019| PG 3
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