Dear America: Of Thee I Sing

In each panel of Dear America, Tom Jones appropriates and enlarges historic images of Native Americans from postcards, then uses verses of the patriotic song America (1832) to unpack the experience and often unwritten history of Native Americans in the United States. Jones carefully selected each photograph to blend portraits and additional images together. The lyrics offer commentary and invite us to consider the contradictions and struggles that Native Americans face. Added to these photograph montages are bead and quillwork, providing additional layers of Native American artistic traditions that hold thousands of years of meaning and context.