Biography of:
G. Peter Jemison
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Over the last thirty years, G. Peter Jemison’s (Seneca) paintings have successfully explored a variety of topics, from creating political works that portray contemporary social commentary to works of art that reflect his relationship with the natural world. Jemison’s paintings have successfully explored a variety of topics, from creating political works that portray contemporary social commentary to works of art that reflect his relationship with the natural world. Jemison’s paintings, works on paper, mixed media, and video contain elements of abstraction, personal narratives and Seneca ideology. The works draw upon the concept of “Orenda,” the traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) belief that every living thing and every part of creation contains a spiritual force.
Jemison has been at the forefront of experimenting with and redefining the definition of not only modern art, but also American Indian art. Jamison has consistently broken out of the traditional mold of what it means to be an American Indian artist. Jemison is especially known for his series of painted paper bags.
Jemison reveals the beginnings of his beautiful and unique form of artistic expression, his painted paper bag series: “I started the bags in the late 1970s when I lived in New York City. I was a commuter from Brooklyn to Manhattan; riding the subway I became aware that one of the things my fellow “strap hangers” and I had in common was we carried some type of bag. I started doodling on bags then began showing them and then started to think about all the different types of bags Indians made and the materials we used. I incorporated logos on bags and used all sizes to express irony and to comment on the society at large. My messages were early on tinged with politics.”
It’s important to note that many institutions have collected the paper bag series by Jemison. In particular, The Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ and The Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO. Jemison has exhibited in numerous solo-exhibitions and group shows, and his works are included in such significant collections as The Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Santa Fe, NM; The British Museum, London, UK; The Museum der Weltkultern, Frankfurt, Germany; and The Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY. Jemison’s work is currently a part of the “The Muhheakantuck in Focus” exhibition at the Glyndor Gallery, the Wave Hill Public Garden and Cultural Center in Bronx, NY.
Jemison received his academic arts education from the University of Sienna, Italy, before earning a B.S. in Arts Education from Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY in 1967 as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at SUNY Buffalo, in Buffalo, NY, in 2003. He also serves as the Historic Site manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York.
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HEARD MUSEUM
