Jim Denomie
Encyclopedia
Jim Denomie is an Ojibwe painter
. He is known for his colorful, at times comical, looks at United States history and Native Americans
.
, Denomie lived on reservation until the age of four when his family moved to Chicago, Illinois due to forced government relocation programs taking place within Native communities in the 1960s. This program, started by Dillon S. Myer, head of Bureau of Indian Affairs
, hoped to assimilate American Indians
into mainstream America by providing job and housing opportunities in major cities for selected families and individuals.
The stress of the relocation is credited as a contributing factor to the divorce of Denomie's parents, and he went to live with his mother, at the age of five, in Minneapolis. In the summers and winters he visited his grandparents on the reservation
.
, which he stopped drinking in 1990.
, pursuing a degree in health science. Eventually he became involved with the American Indian student organization on campus, meeting other Indian students and engaging in Native art, culture, politics, language and other subjects he was not exposed to in his public school education. Denomie also became a teaching assistant in the American Indian studies department. Switching majors, in 1995 he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minnesota. In his art classes he was exposed to Western art history and movements, and he began to form his own style and techniques.
. Aside from painting, he also works in photography, collage and other mixed media explorations. He's also an avid golfer
. He is represented by Bockley Gallery.
which serves as a rough draft
, refining it until it is ready to be executed into a painting. With paintings ripe with color and heavy texture, he at times mixes his paints directly on the canvas when working quickly. His large scale works always receive a ground layer of paint which assists in forming a general composition
. He describes his process as a "chess game", derived from the many decisions he must make when placing, layering and constructing his detailed works.
When asked when he decided a painting was completed, Denomie stated:
His preferred creation time is in the evening, listening to music by the likes of Bob Dylan
, Creedence Clearwater Revival
, Dire Straits
, among others. Denomie credits his primary instructors at the University of Minnesota as major influences on his painting, as well as his family, dreams, memories, and his own life experiences.
Works such as Attack on Fort Snelling Bar and Grill (2007) are a comical examination of 19th century American events and contemporary culture. Inspired by his wife's participation in the 1862 Commemorative March, which took place in March 2006 to honor Dakota
women and children forced to walk 150 miles from the Lower Sioux Agency to Fort Snelling due to the refusal by Indian agent
Thomas J. Galbraith to release foodstuffs
to the community. Andrew Myrick
, a storekeeper from the agency, stated that if the Indians were hungry "let them eat grass or their own dung." Myrick was killed on the second day at the Battle of Lower Sioux Agency
and when his body was found he had a mouth stuffed full of grass
. Many of these events are shown in the painting: Myrick running away from an Indian on a lawnmower with grass in his mouth, Edward Hopper's
Nighthawks
inspires the Bar & Grill, a World Wrestling Entertainment
flag flies high as a tribute to Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura
, Edward S. Curtis
photographs an Indian couple in their own version of American Gothic
, a nude Indian woman riding an appaloosa
, and other numerous events and individuals representing Indian Country
yesterday and today.
Edward S. Curtis makes a number of appearances as a voyeur in Denomie's artworks. In Edward Curtis, Paparazzi: Skinny Dip Denomie mocks Édouard Manet's
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe. A group of four Indians, one in a lake, while the others reclining in a grassy area, relax after a day of skinny dipping
and Edward Curtis is shown in the corner, with his camera, prepared to take pictures.
Peking Duck (2008) parodies
the Bering Strait theory by showing an Indian riding in a rickshaw carrying Chinese takeout in his hand. Above the taxi is a Denomie's own version of The Creation of Adam
, depicting White Buffalo Calf Woman
giving a drum to the Lakota people.
Afro Muses series, allowed for Denomie to get his "head into the oven" of art creation. Succeeding at this project, Denomie is currently not painting a portrait a day.
The Afflicted Warriors is a series of portraits depicting male Indian warriors with long hair, a headband a single feather from their head, while some are not adorned. The Wounded Knee series is reminiscent of Picasso's Blue Period, a series of male and female portraits painted in blues, greens and blacks with a touch of white. The portraits are skeletal, representative of the horrors that took place at Wounded Knee
. Occasionally they are just general "Rugged Indians" and Denomie will sign, date and perhaps name the portrait after someone it reminds him of.
for rabbit
. Wabooz is a common image in Denomie's paintings, as an animal that he identifies with, the rabbit is also representative of the Ojibwe trickster
figure Nanaboujou. As an alter ego
for Denomie, he allows himself to enter the works of art he creates. Wabooz has even made an appearance in Denomie's portraits as Magic Rabbit, a series of three paintings depicting an alert rabbit wearing a vest with intense almost google-eyes.
are often found in Denomie's contemporary history paintings. The intense recount between Al Franken
and Norm Coleman
is shown in Split Decision, where Paul Wellstone
is the referee standing between the two politicians, dressed like boxers
. Denomie's signature cast of characters sit in the audience: Wabooz, an Indian riding a horse, a coyote
, a moose
, and plenty of unenthusiastic people.
The landscape Casino Sunrise is Denomie's own remake of the Seal of Minnesota
. Governor Tim Pawlenty
is represented by "Pawl Bunyan" (a play on Paul Bunyan
) and is shown with his pants around his ankles standing directly behind Babe the Blue Ox. Former governor Jessie Ventura is shown only wearing a thong
and a feather boa
; he has a cigar in his mouth, a fishing rod set with a grenade in one hand, and a fist of money in the other. No politician of recent Minnesota history escapes the wrath of Denomie's paintbrush; Norm Coleman sits on a toilet and Al Franken counts ballots behind him. Indian Country is represented as well through images of lynched Indians from Fort Snelling, an Indian funeral pyre, a Christian church, a member of the American Indian Movement
riding a horse and more. A Minneapolis police car relating to arrests made of three Indian men and without enough room for them all in the car one was placed in the trunk, is also depicted. Of this painting Denomie said, "The Minnesota State seal needed to be updated. It's been a while...This is all history, all of it is history of Minnesota."
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. He is known for his colorful, at times comical, looks at United States history and Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
Early life
A member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa IndiansLac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe are one of seven federally recognized Wisconsin bands of Ojibwa. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation, at in northwestern Wisconsin, which surrounds Lac Courte Oreilles...
, Denomie lived on reservation until the age of four when his family moved to Chicago, Illinois due to forced government relocation programs taking place within Native communities in the 1960s. This program, started by Dillon S. Myer, head of Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
, hoped to assimilate American Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
into mainstream America by providing job and housing opportunities in major cities for selected families and individuals.
The stress of the relocation is credited as a contributing factor to the divorce of Denomie's parents, and he went to live with his mother, at the age of five, in Minneapolis. In the summers and winters he visited his grandparents on the reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
.
A young adult
As a youth Denomie struggled in school with the pressures to conform and fit in. Seeking support from family members on how to deal with racism, stereotypes and peer-pressure rarely helped, as many of his relatives and friends dealt with their own conflicts in regards to assimilation into American culture. As a teenager he started to abuse alcoholAlcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, which he stopped drinking in 1990.
Higher education
That year he began to attend the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, pursuing a degree in health science. Eventually he became involved with the American Indian student organization on campus, meeting other Indian students and engaging in Native art, culture, politics, language and other subjects he was not exposed to in his public school education. Denomie also became a teaching assistant in the American Indian studies department. Switching majors, in 1995 he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minnesota. In his art classes he was exposed to Western art history and movements, and he began to form his own style and techniques.
Current life
A husband, father, and grandfather, Denomie lives and works in Shafer, MinnesotaShafer, Minnesota
Shafer is a city in Chisago County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,045 at the 2010 census.U.S. Route 8 serves as a main arterial route for the community.-Geography:...
. Aside from painting, he also works in photography, collage and other mixed media explorations. He's also an avid golfer
Golfer
Golfer may refer to:* A person who plays golf according to the rules.* Professional golfer* "The Golfer", an episode of The Honeymooners...
. He is represented by Bockley Gallery.
Artistic career
He holds his mirror up to Indigenous people as surely as he does to Americans and American culture. Denomie's art addresses everyone with equal rigor and has important lessons for all viewers. - Gail TremblayGail TremblayGail Tremblay is a Mi'kmaq and Onondaga writer and artist.-Background:Trembley was born on 15 December 1945 in Buffalo, New York. She received her BA in drama from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in English from the University of Oregon, Eugene in 1969.-Writing and education career:She...
Creation process
Starting with a theme, he then starts an initial sketchSketch (drawing)
A sketch is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work...
which serves as a rough draft
Rough Draft
Written in 2005, Moscow, Rough Draft by Sergey Lukyanenko is a fantasy novel of the "parallel world" genre, the first of a duology.The sequel of this novel is Final Draft.-Plot introduction:...
, refining it until it is ready to be executed into a painting. With paintings ripe with color and heavy texture, he at times mixes his paints directly on the canvas when working quickly. His large scale works always receive a ground layer of paint which assists in forming a general composition
Composition (visual arts)
In the visual arts – in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture – composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art or a photograph, as distinct from the subject of a work...
. He describes his process as a "chess game", derived from the many decisions he must make when placing, layering and constructing his detailed works.
When asked when he decided a painting was completed, Denomie stated:
...a painting is done when the artist dies. Previously, I felt that a painting was done when I have taken it as far as I could, at that point in time, and signed it. Now, if the painting is still in my possession and I am not impressed with it, I may rework it. A painting is like a motion picture, always evolving. We hit pause when it looks good to us and then we sign it. But we may come back to it sometime later and look at it again with a perspective enhanced by experience and development and say, “this painting needs more work.”
His preferred creation time is in the evening, listening to music by the likes of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
, Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
, among others. Denomie credits his primary instructors at the University of Minnesota as major influences on his painting, as well as his family, dreams, memories, and his own life experiences.
Metaphorical surrealism
Denomie describes his narrative painting style as "metaphorical surrealism". His paintings frequently examine historical and contemporary events in American and Native American history, as well as aspects of pop-culture, art history and Anglo-Indian relations.Works such as Attack on Fort Snelling Bar and Grill (2007) are a comical examination of 19th century American events and contemporary culture. Inspired by his wife's participation in the 1862 Commemorative March, which took place in March 2006 to honor Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
women and children forced to walk 150 miles from the Lower Sioux Agency to Fort Snelling due to the refusal by Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
Thomas J. Galbraith to release foodstuffs
Foodstuffs
Foodstuffs is a group of three New Zealand grocery and liquor retailers' cooperatives based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch which collectively control an estimated 57% of the New Zealand grocery market...
to the community. Andrew Myrick
Andrew Myrick
Andrew J. Myrick , was a trader with an Indian wife who operated a store in southwest Minnesota near the Minnesota River in the late part of his life.-Claim to fame:Myrick worked at the Lower Sioux Agency to the southeast...
, a storekeeper from the agency, stated that if the Indians were hungry "let them eat grass or their own dung." Myrick was killed on the second day at the Battle of Lower Sioux Agency
Battle of Lower Sioux Agency
The Battle of Lower Sioux Agency was the initial battle of the Dakota War of 1862 in August. After the initial conflict at Acton Township, Minnesota on August 17, in which five white settlers were killed, tensions were running high within the Lower Sioux tribe. The Sioux feared that the murders...
and when his body was found he had a mouth stuffed full of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
. Many of these events are shown in the painting: Myrick running away from an Indian on a lawnmower with grass in his mouth, Edward Hopper's
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
Nighthawks
Nighthawks
Nighthawks is a 1942 painting by Edward Hopper that portrays people sitting in a downtown diner late at night. It is considered Hopper's most famous painting, as well as one of the most recognizable in American art...
inspires the Bar & Grill, a World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
flag flies high as a tribute to Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
, Edward S. Curtis
Edward S. Curtis
Edward Sheriff Curtis was a photographer of the American West and of Native American peoples.-Early life:...
photographs an Indian couple in their own version of American Gothic
American Gothic
American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood, in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood's inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that...
, a nude Indian woman riding an appaloosa
Appaloosa
The Appaloosa is a horse breed best known for its colorful leopard-spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting...
, and other numerous events and individuals representing Indian Country
Indian Country
Indian country is a term used to describe the many self-governing Native American communities throughout the United States. This usage is reflected in many places, both legal and colloquial...
yesterday and today.
Edward S. Curtis makes a number of appearances as a voyeur in Denomie's artworks. In Edward Curtis, Paparazzi: Skinny Dip Denomie mocks Édouard Manet's
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe. A group of four Indians, one in a lake, while the others reclining in a grassy area, relax after a day of skinny dipping
Skinny dipping
Nude swimming, colloquially called skinny dipping, is a term used to describe swimming naked.-Etymology:The term skinny dip, first recorded in English in the 1950s, includes the somewhat archaic word skinny, known since 1573, meaning "having to do with skin", as it exposed the naked...
and Edward Curtis is shown in the corner, with his camera, prepared to take pictures.
Peking Duck (2008) parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
the Bering Strait theory by showing an Indian riding in a rickshaw carrying Chinese takeout in his hand. Above the taxi is a Denomie's own version of The Creation of Adam
The Creation of Adam
The Creation of Adam is a section of Michelangelo's fresco Sistine Chapel ceiling painted circa 1511. It illustrates the Biblical story from the Book of Genesis in which God the Father breathes life into Adam, the first man...
, depicting White Buffalo Calf Woman
White Buffalo Calf Woman
White Buffalo Calf Woman , a sacred woman of supernatural origin, is treated as a prophet or a messiah and is central to the Lakota religion. Oral traditions relate that she brought the extended Lakota nation of the Teton Sioux their "Seven Sacred Rituals".- Story :The traditional story is that,...
giving a drum to the Lakota people.
Portraits
In 2005 Denomie decided to create a portrait a day for one year as a way to make painting more of a priority in his life. His busy life wasn't allowing him to work in the studio as often as he liked, and upon returning to the studio after a week of not working he felt like a foreigner. This has led to a collection of hundreds of portraits, primarily small scale works (5x7 inches, 6x8 inches) of American Indians that Denomie describes as "Rugged Indians". The portraits are generally head and shoulder portraits, with the individual faced forward, taking between 15–30 minutes to complete. The concept, similar to Chris Ofili'sChris Ofili
Chris Ofili is a Turner Prize winning British painter best known for artworks referencing aspects of his Nigerian heritage, particularly his incorporation of elephant dung. He was one of the Young British Artists, and is now based in Trinidad.-Early life:Ofilli was born in Manchester. He had a...
Afro Muses series, allowed for Denomie to get his "head into the oven" of art creation. Succeeding at this project, Denomie is currently not painting a portrait a day.
The Afflicted Warriors is a series of portraits depicting male Indian warriors with long hair, a headband a single feather from their head, while some are not adorned. The Wounded Knee series is reminiscent of Picasso's Blue Period, a series of male and female portraits painted in blues, greens and blacks with a touch of white. The portraits are skeletal, representative of the horrors that took place at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
. Occasionally they are just general "Rugged Indians" and Denomie will sign, date and perhaps name the portrait after someone it reminds him of.
Wabooz
Denomie's studio, Wabooz Studio, is named for the Ojibwe wordOjibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
for rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
. Wabooz is a common image in Denomie's paintings, as an animal that he identifies with, the rabbit is also representative of the Ojibwe trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
figure Nanaboujou. As an alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
for Denomie, he allows himself to enter the works of art he creates. Wabooz has even made an appearance in Denomie's portraits as Magic Rabbit, a series of three paintings depicting an alert rabbit wearing a vest with intense almost google-eyes.
Minnesota
Minnesotan politics, news and Indian CountryIndian Country
Indian country is a term used to describe the many self-governing Native American communities throughout the United States. This usage is reflected in many places, both legal and colloquial...
are often found in Denomie's contemporary history paintings. The intense recount between Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
and Norm Coleman
Norm Coleman
Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002...
is shown in Split Decision, where Paul Wellstone
Paul Wellstone
Paul David Wellstone was a two-term U.S. Senator from the state of Minnesota and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Before being elected to the Senate in 1990, he was a professor of political science at Carleton College...
is the referee standing between the two politicians, dressed like boxers
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. Denomie's signature cast of characters sit in the audience: Wabooz, an Indian riding a horse, a coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, a moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, and plenty of unenthusiastic people.
The landscape Casino Sunrise is Denomie's own remake of the Seal of Minnesota
Seal of Minnesota
The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota is the state seal of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Symbolism:The settler with his plow is depicted as being on the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls. His gun rests beside a stump signifying that he had given up war in exchange for farming, but was...
. Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
is represented by "Pawl Bunyan" (a play on Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
) and is shown with his pants around his ankles standing directly behind Babe the Blue Ox. Former governor Jessie Ventura is shown only wearing a thong
Thong
Thong may refer to:* Thong , a garment which primarily covers only the pubic area* Thongs, jandals or flip-flops, a type of footwear similar to sandals but which are not secured to the ankles...
and a feather boa
Feather boa
A feather boa is a fashion accessory that is usually worn wrapped around the neck like a scarf.-Construction:A boa can be made of fur, but it is usually made instead from various types of feathers. Ostrich, marabou, chandelle, and turkey are the most common feathers used, although non-feather boas...
; he has a cigar in his mouth, a fishing rod set with a grenade in one hand, and a fist of money in the other. No politician of recent Minnesota history escapes the wrath of Denomie's paintbrush; Norm Coleman sits on a toilet and Al Franken counts ballots behind him. Indian Country is represented as well through images of lynched Indians from Fort Snelling, an Indian funeral pyre, a Christian church, a member of the American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
riding a horse and more. A Minneapolis police car relating to arrests made of three Indian men and without enough room for them all in the car one was placed in the trunk, is also depicted. Of this painting Denomie said, "The Minnesota State seal needed to be updated. It's been a while...This is all history, all of it is history of Minnesota."
Major exhibitions
- Now and Then, 2010, Winona State UniversityWinona State UniversityWinona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
, Winona, MN - Transcending Traditions: Contemporary American Indian Artwork, 2010, Mesa Arts CenterMesa Arts CenterThe Mesa Arts Center is a performing and visual arts complex in downtown Mesa, Arizona. At more than square feet, the $95 million facility, completed in 2005, is the largest comprehensive arts campus in the state....
, Mesa, AZ - Art Quantum, 2009, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, IN
- Jim Denomie: Recent History, 2009, Bockley Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- Common Ground: Paintings by Julie Buffalohead and Jim Denomie, 2008, Metro State University, St. Paul, MN
- Jim Denomie: Recent Works, 2008, Finlandia UniversityFinlandia UniversityFinlandia University is a university in Hancock, Michigan, United States, and the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi College, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.-History:...
, Hancock, MI - New Skins: New Paintings by Andrea Carlson and Jim Denomie, 2007, Minneapolis Institute of ArtsMinneapolis Institute of ArtsThe Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a fine art museum located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a campus that covers nearly 8 acres , formerly Morrison Park...
, Minneapolis, MN - Reflections of Lewis & Clark, 2005, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
- Painting by Jim Denomie, 2004, Plains Art MuseumPlains Art MuseumThe Plains Art Museum is a fine arts museum located in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, United States.- History :The history of the museum dates back to 1965 when the "Red River Art Center" opened in the former Moorhead, Minnesota, post office. The name of the museum was changed when it was...
, Fargo, ND - 8th Native American Fine Arts Invitational, 2002, Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
, Phoenix, AZ - Truth, 2002, St. John's University, Collegeville, MN
- Transitions, 2000, Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, MD
- Metaphor and Intuition, 1999, Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, Ames, IA
Notable collections
- Heard Museum
- Tweed Museum of ArtTweed Museum of ArtThe Tweed Museum of Art is a museum located on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth, in Duluth, Minnesota.It has a permanent collection of over 6,000 works covering a range of periods and cultures in art history, with particular strengths in American landscape painting. The Tweed was...
- Westfälisches Museum für Naturkunde
Notable awards
- Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Arts, 2009
- Bush Artist FellowshipBush FoundationThe Bush Foundation was created in 1953 by Archibald Granville Bush an American businessman primarily involved with 3M and his wife, Edyth Bassler Bush. The organization awards $40 million a year to philanthropic organizations, primarily located in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest....
, 2008
External links
- Jim Denomie, Vision Project, by Bradley Pecore
- Bockley Gallery
- An interview with Denomie from Radio Minnesota Artists