Ancestral Roads: A Journey through Time, Place, and Memory in Poland and Beyond

In his first major photographic exhibition, Dr. Brian Tomaszewski, a professor in RIT’s B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, presents a compelling reflection on how both the past and present shape our understanding of identity, history, and place. Through evocative images of the Polish landscapes his ancestors left over 130 years ago, Tomaszewski invites viewers to explore themes of migration and memory.

In the late 19th century, millions were forced to leave Poland due to political and cultural oppression, including Tomaszewski's own forebears. With the support of a prestigious Fulbright scholarship, Tomaszewski spent nine months (2023–2024) in Poland applying spatial data science to understand the ongoing forced migration of Ukrainian refugees into Poland after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. This experience led him to reimagine his own ancestral history of displacement, tracing the paths his relatives once walked, camera in hand, through the landscapes described in 19th-century historical documents. No photographs of his ancestors remain, but this exhibit captures the echoes of the past through the places they left behind.

This exhibit is a blend of historical geography and personal reflection. It examines how the past continues to shape the present and explores the lives of those who stayed behind after Tomaszewski's ancestors departed. It also serves as a poignant reminder of how issues of migration and displacement—whether 130 years ago or today—remain strikingly relevant.

Dr. Brian Tomaszewski holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Penn State University and has been a faculty member at RIT for 16 years. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and is the author of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Disaster Management published by Routledge press and adopted globally. His extensive research, recognized with over $5,000,000 in funding from sources such as the U.S. National Science Foundation, includes collaborations with prestigious United Nations organizations.

Beyond academia, Tomaszewski is a multifaceted artist. His passion for travel, inspired by his academic career, fuels his music and photography. A talented 5-string banjo and guitar player, he regularly performs across Upstate New York, crafting intricate multi-cultural solo performances that recreate the sound of a full band. His photography seeks to capture the unique beauty of the natural world and tell powerful stories of people, places, and experiences.