Jason Wesaw

Jason Wesaw brings a contemporary aesthetic to his works on paper, which express traditional stories and values of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. The minimalist pieces are brightly colored and geometric, and often feature pattern-making and beaded applique. He includes what some might refer to as horizon lines, but he prefers to call reflection and duality, a stillness that opens us to spirit while we are living a physical existence. His themes include the seasonal, cyclical movements of Mother Earth.
Jason lives in southern Michigan, in the traditional Potawatomi homelands, where he raises three children and works as a peacemaker in his tribal community, helping individuals and families maintain healthy and positive relationships. He calls this work “inward-facing,” while his artwork, which also includes ceramics, is “outward-facing.” His creative output is driven and inspired by cultural tradition and oral histories, which he purposely conveys using a modern-art vocabulary so that Potawatomi stories will reach a wider audience in gallery and museum exhibition spaces. He has found encouragement in his artmaking by showing at Native art markets in the Southwest, where he is grateful to meet Pueblo artists with multi-generational artistic lineages from which he can learn.