Short Biography I was born on the Six Nations Reservation to Onondaga / Tuscarora parents, wolf clan of the traditional Longhouse faith, both grandparents and parents. My influences as an artist developed at an early age as I was surrounded by the arts, indigenous skills, and the decorative crafts that my family and extended family are involved in. I learned early on the power of art and the message that could be conveyed through words, two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects. My family moved to Niagara Falls when I was four years old (1967). Being native in an urban setting was unsettling I suppose for my mother, brothers, sisters and I. Coming from the reservation to an industrial city had quite an impact on our family trying to understand and accept our new environment. Through the years growing up in Niagara Falls, I had come to learn the duality of my existence and identity. There were not many native families let alone traditional native families living in Niagara Falls at this time. My sense of "being" had no foundation. I could not accept parts of my own culture or the social environment that I was surrounded by. There was always a constant struggle from within to retain the traditional values that were taught to me as a small boy, but I also needed to experience everything that I could in these surroundings. As many native people know growing up in these urban settings, the social influences are overwhelming not to mention the suppression of identity and the social discrimination that is inherent in many cities. My schooling in art started at the local community college in design and painting at which there was not much influence, inspiration, or nurturing. At this point in my life the Native American Center for the Living Arts (the Turtle) was just opened. Many of the local native artists were gathering at this building to show and discuss art and our culture. This I believe was the start of my pursuit to be an artist. Seeing the many different types of art from the many tribes that were represented at the Turtle inspired me to search and question many ideals that I accepted as truth. These were great times to be an artist and to be working and living in Niagara Falls. The influences from the Turtle inspired me to travel to Santa Fe New Mexico to study art at the College of Santa Fe, which was adjoined to the Institute of American Indian Arts. Here in this environment of artists I found the freedom and voice of expression. In a turn of events I was recruited to the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana which to this day still supports the discriminatory mascot "chief illiniwek". I acquired a B.F.A. from the University of Illinois along with 1 year in a masters program (M.F.A.). It took me approximately 2 years to de-program myself from the anger and disillusionment that I acquired from this experience in Illinois. In the short of things, here I am back in Niagara Falls still doing art from where I started.
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(c) copyright 2003 Jay Carrier ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
