In August 2021, The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development traveled to the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, New York to meet and interview tribal leaders and small business owners as part of our Native Edge Institute series. While there, we met Jeremy Dennis, an aspiring artist and member of the Shinnecock tribe.

In an interview, Jeremy spoke of a current art project named “Ma’s House.”  At the time of the interview, Jeremy was in the process of developing Ma’s House into a 501c(3) non-profit. He hopes to qualify for various grants to help restore his childhood home—owned by his late grandmother—and transform it into “Ma’s House” art gallery. Jeremy’s goal is to use Ma’s House to lead indigenous art programs and feature the work of other tribal members and Indigenous artists.

In October 2021, Ma’s House received its non-profit status, and today Jeremy Dennis is serving as Curator of the New Art Exhibition in collaboration with the Southampton Art Center. The exhibition, titled “Outcropping – Indigenous Art Now”, will be on display February 4th through April 9th, 2022. The exhibition will feature paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, videos, and more.

You can learn more about the exhibition, including how you can see it in person, by clicking here. From the site:

“’Outcropping’ celebrates contemporary Shinnecock artists along with Indigenous artists from an array of unique sovereign nations throughout the United States.

“‘Outcropping’ addresses Native issues locally and across the country, highlighting shared and individual struggles and triumphs expressed through Native art. 

“The title ‘Outcropping’ refers to Shinnecock’s long connection to this land and reputation of the English translation, ‘People of the Stony Shore’.”

After thousands of years of thriving upon land now known as Southampton Village, Shinnecock people today struggle with issues of marginalization, maintaining tribal sovereignty and self-determination, economic development, wealth gaps, and being rendered invisible.

“As an Indigenous person, I am excited that this exhibition will represent Shinnecock voices and feature exclusively Indigenous artists,” said Jeremy Dennis. “Growing up in the East End, I have never seen a show of entirely Native artists curated by a Native artist. It is an honor to collaborate with fellow Indigenous artists to develop this exhibition.”

Throughout the two-month exhibition, public performances and Indigenous markets will be hosted at the Southampton Art Center in support of local Shinnecock artists. The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development congratulates Jeremy and his fellow Indigenous artists on the exhibition and we encourage anyone interested in learning more about Indigenous culture and history through art to visit the exhibition opening February 4, 2022.