Can’t get enough of Pete? Check out the original feature on our website at senecamuseum.org/blog for additional sources.
This March the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center is proud to feature G. Peter Jemison, Onöndowa’ga’ [Seneca, People of the Big Hills], Hodaë’ö:ga:’ [He is of the Heron Clan], as our elder of the month. As an artist, author, cultural worker, curator, educator, filmmaker, and political activist, Pete has touched the lives of many.
G. Peter Jemison was born Gerald Ansley Jemison on January 18, 1945 in Silver Creek NY. Ansley was his father’s name and Gerald likely came from “Geraldine”, his father’s sister’s name. Pete is a nickname given by his father which stuck. Eventually Pete formalized to Peter and became his official artist name.
Growing up in the diverse farming community of Irving NY, Pete recalls the olden days of having an ice box- chasing the ice truck down the street to acquire an icicle to suck on hot summer days. He recalls being very active biking and spending time outdoors with his sister Ellen and friends. It was in elementary school when he first took up drawing. He then continued to pursue every art extracurricular throughout Junior High and Highschool. His mother, always the encouraging type, also fed into his passion for art buying him clay for sculpting.
Pete’s father was an ironworker and helped Pete develop a keen work ethic. Pete went from making a dollar an hour canning to securing a job in ironwork like his father to help pay for his top choice college- Buffalo State. While studying to become an art educator at Buffalo State, Pete developed his ability to paint. Art studio courses took up a lot of time and usually occurred at night. Pete who has always been an athlete doing everything from track to football, decided to give up soccer to really focus on his art…and bring up his grades.
College was a transformative time for Pete and full of travels. A trip to Sienna, Italy immersed him in a world of inspirational art. A trip to San Francisco, during the “Indians of All Tribes” Occupation of Alcatraz opened Pete’s eyes to the power of art in social justice and empowered him to learn more about his heritage. Ever since, Pete has felt an important obligation to raise consciousness about social injustices facing Native Peoples.
It may come as a surprise, but Pete did not know much about his own culture until his twenties. Even after Alcatraz, Pete’s exposure to Seneca cultural knowledge was limited to books written by white anthropologists. It wouldn’t be until he returned home, serving as Director of Seneca Nation Education, did Pete connect with relatives and elders in the Seneca Nation community to learn more about his heritage. The more he discovered what it meant to be Seneca, the more he wanted his culture to be represented through his art. To this very day Pete’s art embodies the Hodínöhšö:ni:h tradition of ‘Orenda’, the belief that all things of creation contain a spiritual force.
Pete has always been personable and his impressive amount of connections helped lead him to a professional art career in New York City. Pete’s time in NYC was fast-paced, exciting, but also tough. Notably, having to move and find a new gallery for the Native American Community House (essentially starting from scratch) gave him the confidence for his next great endeavor- serving as the first Ganondagan Site Manager.
When Pete first came to Ganondagan the land was bare, and the only trails were those left by deer. With the support of many connections, Pete built Ganondagan from the ground-up. Including establishing the first outdoor recreation of a Seneca Bark Longhouse which inspired our Longhouse opening that Pete attended!
During his time as Site Manager at Ganondagan, Pete picked up even more skills by co-editing Treaty Of Canandaigua 1794 with Anna Schein and creating films with sons Brenden and Ansley (who is now Ganondagan’s Cultural Liaison).
Pete is very proud of his work at Ganondagan, and how he demonstrated to visitors that Native People are still here. However Ganondagan, and all his many other careers left him little time for his art. Now retired, Pete is excited to fully dedicate himself to his art as well as time with family.
Pete now spends 5 days a week in his art studio and has some exciting projects lined up, including sending some of his art to Hong Kong and brainstorming ideas for an upcoming exhibit at a prestigious art institution in Pittsburgh. Pete is also keeping his mind young by continuing to learn new skills, like metal work. Fun fact! Pete’s grandfather was a tinsmith, so by learning to make art with metal, Pete is really coming full circle.
Below: Some of Pete’s most recent works and exhibitions.
Pete hopes his story holds lessons and advice for many. He specifically hopes that participating artists in the O.C.C’s 1st Annual Ohi:yo’ Art Market will come away inspired. He encourages artists to keep creating and to not close themselves off from experimenting with different ideas. Pete experienced a huge evolution in his own art from more abstract and geometric to more naturalistic as the messages he wanted his art to portray changed. He hopes other artists will balance time learning from their own communities and time traveling so they can experience their own journeys in developing an unique art style.
Nya:wëh Pete for sharing your story with us.
