BLOOMINGTON, IN.- The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art opened the exhibition, Samuel Levi Jones: An Archaeology of Knowledge, from September 12, 2026–February 14, 2027.

In this exhibition, Jones investigates the underlying structures that shape how we see, speak, and think about culture, politics, and power. Borrowing its title from the ideas of the influential French philosopher Michel Foucault, Samuel Levi Jones: An Archaeology of Knowledge is built from ten years of Jones’s groundbreaking work in mixed-media painting and sculpture. While visiting the museum to develop the exhibition, Jones researched the museum’s collection to find works that resonate with the themes he interrogates, including nationalism and patriotism, censorship, and the representation of marginalized identities in historical narratives. Those resonant artworks—which include sketches by Thomas Hart Benton, photographs by Gordon Parks, and a Jasper Johns print—are exhibited amongst his works.

For more than a decade, Jones has created abstract assemblages with found printed and bound matter, pulping their pages, sewing swatches together, and applying paper pulp to create collaged works with raw qualities. His process of physically destroying archival materials and reconstructing them into artworks constitutes a materially engaged critique of institutional authority.

“Samuel Levi Jones: An Archaeology of Knowledge sheds new, tangible light on the conversation between museum collections and artists,” said Mindy Besaw, the museum’s director. “We are excited to present Samuel’s vision and Leila’s insightful curatorial interpretations in our Moravec Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Gallery. I invite you to explore Jones’ unique exploration of culture, politics, power, and art."





The Eskenazi Museum of Art has two works by Jones. In 2019, the museum acquired Jones’ intaglio print Deeper (2017) from his collaboration with Paulson Fontaine Press. In 2024, the large-scale diptych Poplar Trees (2015), a reflection on Indiana’s history of racial violence, entered the museum collection.

Leila Reichert, Curator of Contemporary Art shares, “I have followed Jones’ practice for more than a decade and have been delighted to have brought him to IU Bloomington over the years for public conversations and an extended residency in partnership with the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities. This exhibition represents a culmination of those years of partnership and the Eskenazi Museum’s commitment to long-term engagements with outstanding living artists.”

Born and raised in Marion, Indiana, Jones trained as a photographer and multidisciplinary artist, earning a BA in communication studies from Taylor University, a BFA from Herron School of Art and Design, and an MFA in studio art from Mills College. His work is in prominent private and public collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

A schedule of exhibition-related events and public programs will be available in the coming weeks.