April – August 2025 | Ferguson Gallery, Museum of Art + History
What does it mean to return home? How does place shape identity, memory, and artistic expression? Artist Timothy O’Connell III explores these questions in yíy̕ yaʔ cn ʔiʔ ʔuʔkʷɬníɬ cn nəsʔáʔɬaʔ (I Was Far Away But Now I’m Here), a collection of oil paintings created between 2017 and 2025. This body of work, on view in the Ferguson Gallery from April to August 2025, reflects a personal journey of movement, reconnection, and artistic evolution.
A Journey Through Art and Identity
Raised in Hawai’i and later settling in the Olympic Peninsula, O’Connell sought to rediscover his Indigenous heritage and community through art. His paintings are rooted in Coast Salish design elements, exploring the dynamic relationship between positive and negative space. Using circles, crescents, and trigons as a foundation, he allows form to emerge organically, often taking years to complete a single piece.
His early works in this collection stem from intuitive experimentation, where shape and color guided the process. More recent pieces, particularly those created after 2021, blend realistic painting techniques with his distinct Coast Salish style, often depicting landscapes as both memory and exploration—from the shores of Hawai’i to the ancestral lands of the S’Klallam people.
Language, Landscape, and Homecoming
Each painting is titled first in nəxʷsƛ̕ay̕əmúcən (the S’Klallam language) as an opportunity to engage with and honor the language. This linguistic and artistic approach roots the work in its cultural context, reinforcing the deep ties between identity, place, and expression.
“This exhibition represents a homecoming—physically, spiritually, and artistically,” O’Connell shares. “It’s a reflection on the landscapes we leave, the ones we return to, and the new meanings we find along the way.”
Experience the Exhibition
Join us at the Museum of Art + History to explore yíy̕ yaʔ cn ʔiʔ ʔuʔkʷɬníɬ cn nəsʔáʔɬaʔ (I Was Far Away But Now I’m Here)—a compelling visual narrative of movement, belonging, and cultural resurgence.
📅 On view April – August 2025
📍 Ferguson Gallery, Museum of Art + History