‘Eternal Testament,” an art exhibition organized by Jeremy Dennis and Meranda Roberts, will open at The Church in Sag Harbor on Sunday and remain on view through May 21.
The show, whose themes include whaling, indenture, land loss, and Western religious and spiritual iconography, reaffirms that Sag Harbor occupies the traditional homelands of the Montaukett and Shinnecock Nations.
By featuring works by Native artists regionally and from across the country that incorporate wit, irreverence, and playfulness, it asserts Indigenous presence and sovereignty as artists reclaim space, “temporarily transforming a site of forced assimilation into one of resistance and refusal,” said Ms. Roberts.
An opening reception will begin on the venue’s studio level Saturday at 5 p.m. with a one-hour panel discussion among Mr. Dennis, Ms. Roberts, and Denise Silva-Dennis, who will take a deeper dive into some of the show’s themes and intentions. Audiences will be invited to “reconsider their perceptions of eastern Long Island in a way that positively engages with Indigenous history and the land we occupy,” said the curators.
At 6, a drumming processional will lead the audience up to the exhibition via a performance by Jeffrey Pegram, a contemporary Native Tsalagi Nation (Cherokee) singer and composer.
It will be followed by a performance by Elisa Harkins (Cherokee, Muscogee) of Indigenous hymns and hand-drum songs. By filling the space with Indigenous sound, according to The Church, “Harkins unsettles historical narratives and invites audiences to reconsider their relationship to land, spirituality, and power.”
The free opening reception is sold out; a link to a waiting list is on the website.
The participating artists to date include Natalie Ball, Jim Denomie, Ms. Silva-Dennis, River Garza, Ms. Harkins, Emily Johnson, Chaz John, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Rachel Martin, David Bunn Martine, New Red Order, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Adrienne Terry, Tyrell Typaha, and Marie Watt.
A citizen of the Yerington Paiute Tribe and Chicana, Ms. Roberts holds a Ph.D. in history and an M.A. in public history from the University of California, Riverside. She is a visiting professor in the art history department at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., and serves on the Scholarly Advisory Committee for the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum.
She co-curated “Native Truths: Our Stories, Our Voices” at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and organized “Continuity: Cahuilla Basket Weavers and Their Legacies” at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College.
Mr. Dennis is a contemporary fine art photographer, and an enrolled tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, where he is the lead artist and founder of the nonprofit Ma’s House and BIPOC Art Studio. In his work, he explores Indigenous identity, culture, and assimilation.
His mother, Ms. Silva-Dennis, at present is the workshop coordinator/beadwork instructor at Ma’s House. She also presents her Shinnecock/Hassanamisco culture through her artwork, which includes life-size figurative paintings, outdoor historical murals, beadwork, regalia, talking sticks, dreamcatchers, and other artifacts.
