SBU Alumnus Curates Zuccaire Exhibition Exploring Indigenous Language in Contemporary Art

When Jeremy Dennis '13 entered the State University of New York at Stony Brook as a freshman, he was a computer science major. However, halfway through his academic career, he switched his major to his passion - art. Since graduating, he has had a successful career as an artist, with his work exhibited around the country. He has been featured in the New York State Museum as part of the Contemporary Native American Art Collection. He has also received the Dreamstarter Award from Running Strong for American Indian Youth for his photography project, "On This Site."

Throughout his art career, Dennis has worked to preserve and share his Shinnecock Nation's ancestral history and contemporary culture with his community. A 2017 40 Under Forty honoree, Dennis has also remained connected to Stony Brook University since graduating, frequently returning to campus as a guest speaker in art classes.

Most recently, he guest-curated the "Weaving Words, Weaving Worlds: The Power of Indigenous Language in Contemporary Art" exhibition at Zuccaire Gallery, featuring 26 Indigenous artists from around the country. "Weaving Words, Weaving Worlds" explores the connection between Indigenous language and contemporary art with artists' work that engages with Algonquian languages spoken across Long Island and the Northeast, as well as other Indigenous languages.

Read a Q&A with Dennis in Stony Brook Matters.