Boundless K-12 Curriculum: CONTINUANCE
JONATHAN JAMES PERRY
Jonathan James-Perry
Aquinnah Wampanoag, American, born 1976
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Paddle 1 – Where We Come From, 2023
White ash, stain of black walnut, and red ochre
Paddle 2 – Where We Are, 2023
White ash
Courtesy of the artist
ABOUT THE MAKER
Jonathan James-Perry is a traditional singer, dancer, speaker, carver, and member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. As an artist, he is grounded in the traditions of his ocean-going ancestors and has made over forty dugout canoes to date. He is now recognized as a teacher of this skill. He considers designs by examining raw materials closely and then draws his images from the grain, hues, and patina of wood, stone, and copper. Jonathan is a direct descendant of the prominent Cuffe family out of Westport and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Jonathan and his sister, Elizabeth James-Perry (also in this curriculum), sometimes collaborate on artwork, research, and exhibitions.
“Every time you paddle where your ancestors paddled, those canoe paddle touch points are resonating with the previous ones from each generation.”
— Jonathan James-Perry
Additional Resources
Learn about another object in CONTINUANCE:
Boundless K-12 Curriculum
* YouTube links to audiovisual materials shared by other creators are included in the curriculum. For more information, including for captioning and transcripts of the suggested audiovisual materials, please contact the audio/video content creators.
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