Carson Waterman: Art Saved My Life

Carson Waterman (Snipe Clan, Seneca Nation, born 1944) is a distinguished painter, draftsman, designer, sculptor, and revered cultural figure for the Haudenosaunee people of the Seneca Nation. A prolific public artist, Waterman’s work can be found throughout the region, with notable installations at the Delavan-Canisius College subway station and Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo, the Allegheny River and Chautauqua Lake Rest Areas along the Southern Tier Expressway, as well as in community centers, nursing homes, and fire halls. His art is prominently displayed at the Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino in Salamanca and other casinos across Western New York. Waterman also designed logos for the Southern Tier Expressway and the Seneca Nation. His work has been showcased in over 50 exhibitions across the U.S., Cuba, and Germany.

Born in Gowanda, New York, Waterman attended the Thomas Indian School, a boarding school established in the 19th century to forcibly assimilate indigenous children. When the school closed in 1957, he transferred to a local high school. After surviving this experience, he went on to study fine art at the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon graduation, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War with the 4th Infantry Division, spending seven months in the field during the Tet Offensive. Reflecting on his experience, Waterman remarked:

Art, I believe, has saved my life over in Vietnam. I was with an Infantry for seven months, and then I did drawings when other people wrote letters ... I was lucky that this lieutenant, I did a drawing of him, a sketch, and then he took the sketchpad and took it to a friend of his, [who] was able to take it to the division commander, General [Donn R.] Pepke. When he saw that he said, "I want this man back here working for me."

After sending his sketches to the Public Information Office, Waterman was reassigned from the battlefield to create illustrations for the division’s newspapers, The Ivy Leaf and Steadfast and Loyal. Years later, he encountered his platoon leader, who had survived a harrowing battle, where only 47 men remained from a full company of 160. Waterman’s art had indeed saved his life. Despite ongoing struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, which has eased over time, he still experiences occasional nightmares.

In 1970, Waterman returned home from the war. He spent four years teaching art in Cleveland before moving back to Western New York to reconnect with his heritage and teach. He noted that AIM (The American Indian Movement) helped many, including himself, rediscover their cultural identity. In collaboration with fellow artist Peter Jemison, he co-founded SNOVA (The Seneca Nation Organization for the Visual Arts). 

From 1974 to 1988, Waterman served as the exhibition designer, preparator, and illustrator for the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, with elements of his work still part of the museum’s exhibits today. From 1988 to 2003, he ran the Carson Waterman American Indian Art Company in Salamanca, where he sold his art.

Waterman is widely regarded as one of the most important artists of his generation, not only within the Seneca Nation but beyond. His recent collaborations include designs for the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. His public artworks, along with his paintings, prints, and commercial pieces, have shared the rich culture of his people with the world, inspiring many. Waterman also partnered with Dean Seneca, a public health professor, to create portraits of Haudenosaunee individuals grappling with addiction, helping guide them toward recovery. Art, which once saved Waterman’s life in Vietnam, continues to serve as a source of healing for others today.

This exhibition includes important loans from the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure, and the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, whose eight monumental paintings celebrating a generation of Haudenosaunee Clan Mothers of the Seneca Nation, form the core of this presentation. Their recent retrospective of Waterman's work directly inspired this exhibition.

Carson Waterman: Art Saved My Life is made possible through the generosity of The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and an Anonymous Foundation. For their leadership gifts, we gratefully recognize Iroquois Construction Services and Odie & Rob Porter. Special thanks also go out to Seneca Resorts & Casinos and Breauna Crumpler for their additional generous support.