“Eternal Testament,” an exhibition curated by Jeremy Dennis and Meranda Roberts, Ph.D., opens at The Church on Saturday, March 22, with a reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition remains on view through May 21. It reaffirms that Sag Harbor, including the “church” in which it appears, occupies the traditional homelands of the Montaukett and Shinnecock Nations.
By featuring works by Native artists regionally and from across the country that incorporate wit, irreverence and playfulness — tools for survival and healing — the exhibition asserts Indigenous presence and sovereignty as artists reclaim space, “temporarily transforming a site of forced assimilation into one of resistance and refusal,” according to Roberts.
Juxtaposing themes of whaling, indenture land loss, as well as Western religious and spiritual iconography with playful yet pointed commentary, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of Eastern Long Island, raising critical questions about how we engage with Indigenous history and the land we occupy. The show features work by Natalie Ball, Jim Denomie, Denise Silva Dennis (Jeremy Dennis’s mother), River Garza, Elisa Harkins, Emily Johnson, Chaz John, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Rachel Martin, David Bunn Martine, New Red Order, Jaune Quick To See Smith, Adrienne Terry, Tyrell Typaha and Marie Watt with additional artists and programs, to be announced.
Jeremy Dennis (b. 1990) is a contemporary fine-art photographer, an enrolled tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton and lead artist and founder of the nonprofit Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio, Inc. on the Shinnecock Reservation. In his work, he explores Indigenous identity, culture, and assimilation. Dennis holds an MFA from Pennsylvania State University in State College and a BA in studio art from Stony Brook University on Long Island. He lives and works in Southampton, on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.
Dr. Meranda Roberts, a citizen of the Yerington Paiute Tribe and Chicana, holds a Ph.D. in history and an MA in public history from the University of California, Riverside. She is a visiting professor in the art history department at Pomona College and serves on the Scholarly Advisory Committee for the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum, where she advocates for inclusive representation of Indigenous histories.
An accomplished scholar and curator, Dr. Roberts co-curated “Native Truths: Our Stories. Our Voices” at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. She also curated the 2023 Native American Invitational Exhibition at Idyllwild Arts, “Still We Smile: Humor as Correction and Joy, and Curated Continuity: Cahuilla Basket Weavers and Their Legacies” at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College. Most recently, she co-edited “Surviving the Long War: Creative Rebellion at the Ends of Empire,” published by Bridge Books in Chicago.
Through her work, she is dedicated to advancing anti-colonial pedagogy and Indigenous methodologies, holding colonial institutions accountable for harmful narratives, and reconnecting cultural heritage items with descendant communities to ensure their stories reflect their enduring significance.
The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor. For more information, visit thechurchsagharbor.org.
Staff Writer on Mar 8, 2025