Artwork copyright Shelley Niro. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Shelley Niro. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Shelley Niro. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Shelley Niro. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

The Essential Sensuality of Ceremony, 2002

Shelley Niro
(Turtle Band of Mohawk, born 1954)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Essential Sensuality of Ceremony is a series of five photographs paired with five beaded objects, created by artist Shelley Niro. The series references the story of Deganawidah, or the “Peacemaker”. This person traveled through Iroquois territories, bringing together communities and teaching them to be attuned to their senses, to care for others, and care for themselves. Niro notes: “This is my interpretation of The Great Law, the oral history of the Iroquois People, which normally takes over 10 days to recite. Essentially, it is a lesson of survival. Be good to yourself, be kind to others and let your senses guide you in all of your actions. Life goes on with form, function and beauty.”

This series is part of the Contemporary Native American Artwork Collection, on view at the University of Washington Gallagher Law Library. The collection was proposed by artist John Feodorov, who selected the eight represented artists for their rich and forward-thinking cultural expression. Speaking to the contemporary nature of this collection, Feodorov notes “since art, like law, is an ever evolving process, it cannot rely on nostalgia if it is to remain relevant.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Shelley Niro (Mohawk) is a multi-media artist who creates paintings, installations, videos, sculptures, and mixed media artworks. Her work challenges stereotypical images and clichés of Indigenous peoples, and it creates new identities and images for them. It advocates for self-representation and sovereignty.
Niro is a member of the Turtle Clan of the Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) Nation, from the Six Nations of the Grand River territory where she grew up (near Brantford, Southern Ontario, Canada). She studied at Cambrian College and Durham College, and she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (1990) in painting and sculpture from the Ontario College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts degree (1997) from the University of Western Ontario (all in Ontario, Canada). In 2017, Niro received the Canadian Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. In 2024, a retrospective exhibition "Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch" travelled across Canada and to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.