By Guilianna Laurain
As part of SUNY Plattsburgh’s ongoing visual artist series showcase Jeremy Dennis shared powerful insights on Indigenous identity, the importance of cultural storytelling and how photography can be used to challenge and ultimately reshape dominant historical narratives.
Dennis, an enrolled tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, New York, has garnered recognition for his striking photographic works that merge imagination, history and geography. His art is deeply rooted in personal experience and cultural legacy blending the past with the present to reclaim visibility for Indigenous communities.
“I first got into photography because I was drawn to the way an image could hold a story, a memory and a truth all at once,” Dennis said. “Growing up on the Shinnecock Reservation, I was surrounded by landscapes and people with deep, layered histories that didn’t always have a place in mainstream narratives.”
These underrepresented stories became central to Dennis’s creative mission. Through photography he found a way not only to document, but to reimagine and reassert the narratives that had been distorted, forgotten or silenced.
“Photography became a tool for me — not just to document what I saw, but to reimagine, reclaim and speak back to the images and ideas that had long misrepresented Indigenous people,” Dennis said.
Much of Dennis’s work explores the themes of visibility and erasure, the ongoing tension between what society chooses to remember and what it allows to fade into obscurity. His art strives to bring what has been buried back into public consciousness, using visual storytelling as both a form of resistance and remembrance.
During the lecture, Dennis walked the audience through several of his major projects that emphasize the intersection of Indigenous history, mythology and modern-day life.
“I constantly return to themes of Indigenous identity, land and resilience,” Dennis said. “Much of my work examines how history, mythology and contemporary experiences intersect, especially here on Long Island where my ancestors have lived for thousands of years.”
These projects explore the deep spiritual and cultural connections that Indigenous people maintain with the land, while confronting the settler colonial narratives that have long sought to erase those connections. Two photography series delve into the sacred and often overlooked Indigenous landscapes of Long Island.
“Projects like ‘On This Site’ and ‘Rise’ explore sacred landscapes and the long, complicated relationship between Indigenous people and the settler colonial narratives that try to erase us,” Dennis said.
These bodies of work highlight the physical importance of these sites but also the emotional and cultural weight they carry for Indigenous communities.
“I’m drawn to the tension between visibility and invisibility — what gets remembered, what gets buried and what we can reclaim through art,” Dennis said.
Dennis stressed the emotional and social power that visual storytelling can have, particularly in creating space for marginalized voices.
“I hope my work makes people slow down and reconsider the histories and perspectives they’ve been taught,” Dennis said. “At its core, my work is about acknowledging Shinnecock presence. I want people to understand that we are still here, and that our story is ongoing.”
Dennis shared words of encouragement for student artists and creatives, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.
“Stay rooted in your own voice and experiences,” Dennis said. “Your perspective matters, especially if you come from a background or community that’s been historically overlooked or misrepresented.”
