St. Bonaventure University

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University will present an exhibition of new work by renowned Onondaga potter and sculptor Peter B. Jones in the Dresser Gallery, opening Friday, Jan. 23.

An opening reception with the artist will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Jones, an Onondaga citizen of the Beaver Clan who grew up on the Cattaraugus Seneca Reservation, is widely regarded as a leading figure in contemporary Haudenosaunee art.

For the Quick Center exhibition, Jones is creating an entirely new body of work, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience recently completed pieces by an artist whose work bridges ancestral tradition and contemporary expression.

Jones studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico, where he was mentored by the late Otellie Loloma, the internationally celebrated Hopi artist known for redefining Native American contemporary art. Since then, Jones has emerged as both a master artist and a mentor within the Haudenosaunee art world.

His pottery is rooted in ancient techniques, including hand-built coiling, slab construction and traditional pit firing. Working primarily in stoneware and white earthenware clay, Jones’ vessels reflect a deep respect for material, process and cultural continuity.

In addition to pottery, Jones is known for innovative sculptural works that often depict storytellers, medicine women, warriors and wampum readers. These figures celebrate Haudenosaunee social organization, oral tradition and worldview while also engaging broader themes of identity, resilience and political expression.

Jones’ work is held in numerous public and private collections across New York state and beyond, including the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, the Syracuse University Art Museum and the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo.

Quick Center galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on weekends when classes are in session.

About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).