In Beauty It Has Blossomed
Denise Silva-Dennis (WeeTahMoe)

In Beauty It Has Blossomed
February 1st - March 11th, 2022
Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio

For my first of ongoing curatorial projects at Ma’s House, I worked with artist Denise “WeeTahMoe” Silva-Dennis, the daughter of Loretta Silva, aka “Ma” on In Beauty It Has Blossomed. As part of her February 2021 residency at Ma’s House, Denise created new works for the exhibition and we worked together to archive many of her historic works to show her lifelong multi-disciplinary expertise. Explore more exhibitions and programs at www.mashouse.studio and our socials.

Curatorial Statement (Images Below):
In Beauty It Has Blossomed weaves together the past, present, and future of artist, educator, and activist Denise “WeeTahMoe” Silva-Dennis (Shinnecock/Hassanamisco-Nipmuc). Silva-Dennis demonstrates her multi-disciplinary craftsmanship through life-size figurative paintings, leatherwork sewing, Indigenous beadwork techniques, and illustration designs spanning her 50-year career including brand new works made during her February Ma’s House residency. The exhibition begins with a photograph, Dartmouth Pow Wow, taken in May 1979. The artist, 19 years old at the time, is wearing one of the exhibited artworks, a burgundy leather regalia she designed, cut, and hand-beaded with her siblings. In the photo, she stands alongside family including her mother, Loretta “Ma” Silva (Princess Silva Arrow), the titular “Ma” of Ma’s House.

While designing and sewing regalia, Silva-Dennis often collaborates with family members to source materials and combine techniques. Select wardrobe constructed for children such as, Kelly’s first Eastern Woodland regalia with wampum, contains elements of leather from a relative’s regalia that was transformed for the next generation and worn by other nieces thereafter. Other pieces involving expansive beadwork such as Papoose Carrier, became group efforts to support the fine detail focus required over long periods of time. Each work of regalia and beaded accouterments were paired with photographs of Silva-Dennis and her family members wearing her designs, showcasing the integrated nature of her work within daily life, Pow Wow activities, and community collaboration. In the artist's own words “These works are all inspired by my family, friends, and those who’ve supported me and made me who I am. All of it includes contributions from my community in different ways and I’m so happy to share that inspiration and influence with everyone through this show. I hope they can all see a piece of themselves in my work.”

As a painter, Silva-Dennis captures the movement and emotions behind traditional Native dances, portraiture, and storytelling with a hybrid approach of layering expressive brushstrokes with detailed mark making. This approach brings an energy and life to her paintings while clearly communicating key narrative messages and subtle Shinnecock cultural ‘easter eggs’. Storytelling is fully realized in, Drawing for Shinnecock Community Center Historical Mural. In this drawing, Silva-Dennis drafted plans for a seventy-five foot mural walking viewers through Shinnecock history including agricultural practices, whaling techniques, symbolism of the medicine wheel, the Circassian shipwreck, and modern gathering centers on the Nation. The mural itself embraced the same spirit of collaboration as the artist’s wearable artwork, with family, friends, and school children helping to paint the mural on the external east-facing wall of the Shinnecock Community Center.

Now, in her recent works, Silva-Dennis brings each of her practices together looking towards the future. In both the painting, Sugar Loaf, and the illustration, Logo for Niamuck Land Trust, we see a reflection on the successes and continued goals of grassroots activism for graves protection and Land Back efforts. Though these individual works are new, activism has long been a part of Silva-Dennis’ process, having a long history of protest poster design and currently serving on the board of the Niamuck Land Trust and Shinnecock Nation Graves Protection Warrior Society. Naturally for Silva-Dennis, she continues to pass down knowledge as an arts educator. Inspired by hosting a raised-beading workshop at Ma’s House as part of her residency, Silva-Dennis created, Iroquois Meets Algonquin, a rosette necklace combining traditional Iroquois techniques with Algonquin materials such as wampum from the local quahog shell. This hybrid piece highlights the long history of trade and cultural exchange between Native nations that continues into the present day.

Looking towards the future would not be complete without, Bear’s Baby Brother Regalia (Benjamin Robin), which presents a member of the next generation with his first regalia. This regalia is both a functional, wearable work of art, as well as a gift of legacy welcoming a new member of the family into the world. Adorned with beaded North Atlantic right whales, the moccasins of the regalia bring this legacy to the forefront, a reminder of Shinnecock whaling expertise and relation to the environment which fostered these traditions.

In Beauty It Has Blossomed opens a window into the history of inspiration and studio practice of Silva-Dennis and sets the stage for the artist’s next move. In the artist’s own words, “This residency and exhibition has rekindled my momentum in a lot of ways. My work has gotten organic recognition and engagement as part of the work my son (Jeremy Dennis) has done to restore Ma’s House. I’m looking forward to hosting more beadwork workshops after this experience in a collaborative format where we can continue the traditions of trading ideas and materials. Having this time of reflection and creation has also reminded me of my position to inspire and mentor young women artists of color using my own story as an example of what’s possible, especially now with new tools like social media to bridge the visibility gap. I myself am a life-long learner, so I’m energized by both teaching and discovering. The Shinnecock Portrait Project, led by my son Jeremy, is something I’m learning from right now. The beautifully colorized photographs, biographies, and histories are going to be references for a new series of paintings further exploring sacred sites and historical figures, similar to Sugar Loaf. Of course, that naturally compliments my work on the board of the Niamuck Land Trust and the Graves Protection Warriors Society. There are so many possibilities ahead and I’m ready to dive in!”