Jay Carrier, We Took Things with Us; A Collection of Recent Work, January 24 – March 6, 2020

Exhibition Catalogue, Jay Carrier and Mary Rouse

“I work from a perspective that allows me the freedom to use any type of material to make art. The materials that I use are from objects that are cast-off, detritus, and other organic materials such as rust, sand, leaves, ashes, and wood. I also use traditional media such as chalk, acrylics, oil paint, paint sticks, spray paint, pencil, and graphite. Many of these paintings have a collage effect, because of the use of printed image and written text along with other mixed media.” Carrier’s work carefully layers the many “things” referenced in the exhibition’s title, reflecting the unique duality of his transnational experience. Carrier was born on Six Nations to Onondaga and Tuscarora parents, and has spent most of his life living and working in the city of Niagara Falls. Many of his drawings are mounted onto found objects that serve as bases for the works on paper. The slat panels that support 716 Zoom and We Took Things With Us are floor boards from an old house on the street where Carrier grew up. We Took Things With Us includes a photograph of Carrier’s grandfather, taken almost a century ago, when he was traveling from the reservation in Ontario to the chiefs’ meeting in Onondaga, NY to deliver the words of the Six Nations confederacy to the grand council. The composition also includes a drawing of the Longhouse visible through the foliage of the Niagara Gorge. The drawing echoes the sepia tones of the photograph, connecting the image to the artist’s history. Carrier also maintains a deep connection to the Niagara region’s distinct physical landscape, drawing inspiration from the Niagara River and Gorge. He uses this landscape as a setting upon which he renders his unique narrative. The 20 foot long mixed media Where Do We Go From Here? layers landscapes with the histories of Tadodaho, a warrior and primary chief of the Onondaga people. Moving along the water is the Mother of Nations who comes to bring peace. She is accompanied by rising spirits floating across fabric squares collected by Carrier’s own mother. Through dynamic color and expressive gesture, Carrier’s artwork collapses time and space between the artist and his grandfather, between the Mother of Nations and his own mother. By doing so, he focuses the viewer on the timeless quality of the ordinary things made extraordinary in the artist’s studio.

Biography:

Jay Carrier is a visual artist born on Six Nations to Onondaga and Tuscarora parents, who currently lives and works in Niagara Falls, NY and holds a B.F.A. from the University of Illinois-Champlain. Carrier studied painting at The College of Santa Fe, New Mexico and in the MFA program from the University of Illinois. Carrier has participated in solo and group exhibitions throughout the US and Canada, including Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, NY, the Castellani Art Museum, Niagara Falls, NY, Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Fenimore House Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, New York, Woodland Cultural Center Museum, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Chautauqua Center for Visual Arts Gallery, Chautauqua, New York and the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York.