Hayden Haynes

Hayden Haynes is a mixed media artist specializing in antler carving. He grew up on the Seneca-Cattaraugus territory in Western New York. As a young man his aunt gave him a Dremel power tool and explained to him that he could make things with it. After seeing carved antler works by Norman Jimerson, Wayne Sky and Stan Hill Sr., he was inspired to pick up the tool and experiment with antlers that he had in his possession. After nearly a decade of practice his technical skills reached a higher level, and he began working with a Foredom flex shaft tool to carve. Throughout his career as an artist he has learned the ancient techniques that ancestors used to work bone and antler as well. 

Haynes’ work is about healing- an expression of Hodinöhsö:ni’ life today, showing where they come from, where they are, and where they are going. His work often involves issues of social justice, highlighting Indigenous people’s strengths and resiliency. He expands a traditional media practice through techniques and aesthetics in the hopes of inspiring others to take up this dying art. 

One of his goals is to educate people on the historical and cultural significance of antler carving, and the antler material itself. As a child, he was inspired by observing the strength and fortitude of his mother and grandmother, and an appreciation of Haudenosaunee women of the past and present. His work serves as a conduit to honor, raise up, and amplify, Hodinöhsö:ni’ women as they reclaim their spaces in today’s world.

Haynes received a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)/New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) fellowship in 2021. He has had solo exhibitions in Salamanca and Albany, and his work has been shown in group exhibitions across New York State, including the significant exhibition, O’nigöëi:yo:h: Thinking in Indian,” celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Indigenous Studies at the University at Buffalo in 2022. He has won numerous first place and best of show awards for his sculpture, jewelry, and photography. Among the museums that own his artwork are the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, Iroquois Indian Museum, New York State Museum, Ganondagan State Historic Site, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Rochester Museum & Science Center, and New-York Historical Society Museum & Library. Haynes was co-author and/or photographer for publications including First American Art Magazine, Journal of Folklore & Education, Hënödeyësdahgwa’geh wa’öki’jö ögwahsä’s. Onëh I:’ jögwadögwea:je’/We Were at the School. We Were There. We Remember, RAJ Press (about the residential boarding Thomas Indian School), Oxford University Press, and Native American Magazine.

Playing an important role in his community, Haynes has served on the Board of Trustees for the Iroquois Indian Museum, the Board of Directors of the Tri-County Arts Council, as Programming Coordinator-Cultural Arts Revitalization Tent for three Seneca National Fall Festivals, Vendor Coordinator or Programming Coordinator for several Marvin “Joe” Curry Veterans Pow Wows. He is currently the Director of the Seneca Iroquois National Museum and Onöhsagwë:de' Cultural Center in Salamanca, New York.

More information about Hayden Hanes can be found on his website: https://www.haydensantlercreations.com/