Iroquois Museum to Host Speaking Engagement

The Iroquois Museum (Howes Cave, NY) will present an illustrated talk on Seneca artist Ernest Smith and the WPA years by scholar Scott Manning Stevens, PhD. Ernest Smith hailed from Tonawanda Reservation and was one of the most influential Iroquois painters of his time. From 1935 – 1941, under the auspices of the Seneca Indian Arts Project, Smith produced 245 oil and watercolor portrayals of Iroquois/Haudenosaunee stories, ceremonies, day to day life, and foundational teachings. At a time when few Iroquois were accomplished in western style illustration, his work and prolific career would come to transform the trajectory of Iroquois art for generations.

Dr. Stevens is Akwesasne Mohawk and holds a position as Professor and Director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program at Syracuse University. He was appointed a Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Fellow (2021-2022); serves on the advisory board of the Skä-noñh Great Law of Peace Center and the board of the Adirondack Experience. He has contributed to nearly 20 books, numerous journal articles, and the Art of Native America: The Charles & Valerie Diker Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY). He has shared his research and insights in museums and professional settings around the world. Dr. Stevens’ thoughtful and engaging talk on October 7 will focus on the impact of the Seneca Arts Project (1935 – 1941) and Ernie Smith’s work in the context of cultural revitalization.

This presentation is offered in conjunction with the Iroquois Museum’s feature exhibition Oil & Water: Works by Ernest Smith, Jesse Cornplanter & James Beaver. This special presentation is free of charge with regular museum admission. Stevens presentation is made possible by an Action Grant from Humanities NY. For additional information, visit http://www.Iroquoismuseum.org or call 518.296.8949.

These events are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, a Humanities NY Action grant, and friends and members of the Iroquois Museum. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information contact: [email protected]