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Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis, Sugar Loaf, 2022. Photo courtesy the artist
Off-Site Road Show Reception | Denise Silva-Dennis: Wunne Ohke–The Return To Good Ground
Outdoors, free and open to the public
October 16, 2022, 2 pm - 4 pm
REGISTER
OPENING RECEPTION
Sisters of St. Joseph Villa
81 Lynn Ave, Hampton Bays, NY, 11946
Outdoors, free and open to the public
For the 2022 Parrish Road Show, Shinnecock artist Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis (American, b. 1960) will create a site-specific mural at the Sisters of St. Joseph Villa in Hampton Bays, continuing her life-long practice of inter-generational education and storytelling though the arts. In Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground, Silva-Dennis shares the ancestral history of Shinnecock Bay.
The Algonquin words translating to “good ground,” Wunne Ohke is the original placename of the Hampton Bays area given by the Shinnecock who first inhabited the region as a residential area. The name refers to the smooth “good ground” that allowed ease of launching canoes for whaling. In this new mural, Silva-Dennis vibrantly reimagines land from pre-colonial times and combines it with more recent significant landmarks in the Shinnecock Nation’s history. Through the work itself and public programming, visitors will learn from the artist and her fellow Shinnecock research collaborators how these ancestral places came to be, how they’ve changed, and what they mean to the Shinnecock people today.
Activism has long been a part of Silva-Dennis’ process: She has a rich history of protest poster design and is currently serving on the board of the Niamuck Land Trust and Shinnecock Graves Protection Warrior Society (SGPWS). In her earlier painting Sugar Loaf she reflects on the successes and continued goals of grassroots activism for graves protection and Land Back efforts–such as the purchase of the sacred burial site at Sugar Loaf Hill to be preserved and returned to the Shinnecock. For Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground, Silva-Dennis is looking towards the future. Shinnecock histories highlighting efforts to regain ancestral lands and revitalize traditional practices for future generations are carried on and celebrated through art.
Parrish Road Show 2022 | Denise Silva-Dennis: Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground is organized by Corinne Erni, Senior Curator of ArtsReach and Special Projects with support from Brianna Hernández, Curatorial Fellow.
Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground debuts on October 16, 2022, and is on view outdoors and open to the public thereafter.
Parrish Road Show 2022 | Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground, is made possible, in part, by the generous support of Eastern Scaffolding & Shoring, Inc., Jane Wesman and Donald Savelson, and the Dorothy Lichtenstein ArtsReach Fund established by Agnes Gund.
ABOUT PARRISH ROAD SHOW
Now in its 11th year, the Parrish Road Show is the Museum’s annual creative off-site exhibition program where End artists are invited to create new work for temporary projects. Connecting art and creativity to myriad communities, the exhibitions take place at public sites across the region—cultural and historical organizations, public parks and highways, and community centers, and the artists offer public talks and art-making workshops for children and adults.
ABOUT DENISE “WEETAHMOE” SILVA-DENNIS
Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis (b. 1960, Riverhead, NY) is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator based in the Shinnecock Nation. Silva-Dennis graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art. Silva-Dennis works primarily in acrylic for her figurative paintings and murals and is also an accomplished beadwork craftswoman. The traditional Eastern Woodland style of beadwork was handed down to her from her mother and elder women of the Shinnecock and Hassanamisco-Nipmuc Nations. Denise’s has exhibited at art galleries, museums, libraries, schools, and colleges throughout Long Island and Upstate, including at Hamilton College’s Bundy Center and Library.
ABOUT THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH
For more than 169 years the Sisters of Saint Joseph have served the people of Long Island. The Sisters of St. Joseph’s goal is to foster love, unity, and reconciliation among all people with the education and empowerment of women as a key focus. The Sisters of St. Joseph are educators from elementary to the university level, social workers, health care professionals, lawyers, parish ministers, administrators, and spiritual directors. They also have ministries independently operated including six high schools, a learning program for immigrant women, and a skilled nursing facility.
Off-Site Road Show Reception | Denise Silva-Dennis: Wunne Ohke–The Return To Good Ground
Outdoors, free and open to the public
October 16, 2022, 2 pm - 4 pm
REGISTER
OPENING RECEPTION
Sisters of St. Joseph Villa
81 Lynn Ave, Hampton Bays, NY, 11946
Outdoors, free and open to the public
For the 2022 Parrish Road Show, Shinnecock artist Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis (American, b. 1960) will create a site-specific mural at the Sisters of St. Joseph Villa in Hampton Bays, continuing her life-long practice of inter-generational education and storytelling though the arts. In Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground, Silva-Dennis shares the ancestral history of Shinnecock Bay.
The Algonquin words translating to “good ground,” Wunne Ohke is the original placename of the Hampton Bays area given by the Shinnecock who first inhabited the region as a residential area. The name refers to the smooth “good ground” that allowed ease of launching canoes for whaling. In this new mural, Silva-Dennis vibrantly reimagines land from pre-colonial times and combines it with more recent significant landmarks in the Shinnecock Nation’s history. Through the work itself and public programming, visitors will learn from the artist and her fellow Shinnecock research collaborators how these ancestral places came to be, how they’ve changed, and what they mean to the Shinnecock people today.
Activism has long been a part of Silva-Dennis’ process: She has a rich history of protest poster design and is currently serving on the board of the Niamuck Land Trust and Shinnecock Graves Protection Warrior Society (SGPWS). In her earlier painting Sugar Loaf she reflects on the successes and continued goals of grassroots activism for graves protection and Land Back efforts–such as the purchase of the sacred burial site at Sugar Loaf Hill to be preserved and returned to the Shinnecock. For Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground, Silva-Dennis is looking towards the future. Shinnecock histories highlighting efforts to regain ancestral lands and revitalize traditional practices for future generations are carried on and celebrated through art.
Parrish Road Show 2022 | Denise Silva-Dennis: Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground is organized by Corinne Erni, Senior Curator of ArtsReach and Special Projects with support from Brianna Hernández, Curatorial Fellow.
Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground debuts on October 16, 2022, and is on view outdoors and open to the public thereafter.
Parrish Road Show 2022 | Wunne Ohke–The Return to Good Ground, is made possible, in part, by the generous support of Eastern Scaffolding & Shoring, Inc., Jane Wesman and Donald Savelson, and the Dorothy Lichtenstein ArtsReach Fund established by Agnes Gund.
ABOUT PARRISH ROAD SHOW
Now in its 11th year, the Parrish Road Show is the Museum’s annual creative off-site exhibition program where End artists are invited to create new work for temporary projects. Connecting art and creativity to myriad communities, the exhibitions take place at public sites across the region—cultural and historical organizations, public parks and highways, and community centers, and the artists offer public talks and art-making workshops for children and adults.
ABOUT DENISE “WEETAHMOE” SILVA-DENNIS
Denise “Weetahmoe” Silva-Dennis (b. 1960, Riverhead, NY) is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator based in the Shinnecock Nation. Silva-Dennis graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art. Silva-Dennis works primarily in acrylic for her figurative paintings and murals and is also an accomplished beadwork craftswoman. The traditional Eastern Woodland style of beadwork was handed down to her from her mother and elder women of the Shinnecock and Hassanamisco-Nipmuc Nations. Denise’s has exhibited at art galleries, museums, libraries, schools, and colleges throughout Long Island and Upstate, including at Hamilton College’s Bundy Center and Library.
ABOUT THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH
For more than 169 years the Sisters of Saint Joseph have served the people of Long Island. The Sisters of St. Joseph’s goal is to foster love, unity, and reconciliation among all people with the education and empowerment of women as a key focus. The Sisters of St. Joseph are educators from elementary to the university level, social workers, health care professionals, lawyers, parish ministers, administrators, and spiritual directors. They also have ministries independently operated including six high schools, a learning program for immigrant women, and a skilled nursing facility.
