Emily J. Gómez
Artist Statement

My photographic work documents Southeastern and Midwestern landscapes and what is missing from them—an American Indian presence. Indian Mounds and former town sites fascinate me visually and in terms of what they symbolize. Simply put, they represent the achievements of people who no longer exist or whose populations have been decimated—people our predecessors killed or forced west to live on reservations.

My work is driven by my search to uncover the past—to find evidence of what was here before us and to educate others and myself about the history of our continent that we rarely learn in school. I feel that by unearthing the facts of our past and by admitting that what we did was wrong, we can begin to change the way we treat one another, both at home and abroad.

A Note on Technique
The works I have assembled for “Unknown Histories” were made with 5”x7” and 8”x10” Deardorff View Cameras. The 5”x7” prints are Platinum/Palladium and the enlargements made with the 8”x10” negatives are Archival Inkjet Prints.