About the Artist

Born of Odanak Abenakis and Metis descent in 1977, Jessica Somers was raised in a nurturing family with 3 siblings. She was greatly influenced by her grandmother who enjoyed creating scenic and wildlife paintings.  Her father’s passion for carpentry and his hard work ethics and determination are what attributed to her success as an artist today.

Jessica loves creating paintings that represent knowledge of the natural world we learn and share through generations. Jessica is captivated by the teachings by elders in her community and her Nation. She creates art that connect to these teachings.  This honors her ancestors while also ensuring the knowledge is passed on. Jessica uses her artwork as self-reflection, a way of seeking peace, sharing knowledge, teaching moral lessons, and/or telling stories. Jessica believes that art has been survivance, a way of holding on to stories and history, embodying a way of life, and expressing and sharing Indigenous identities.

Jessica also provides workshops online and in person to engage the community by opening doors to create, educate and provide opportunities for community members to experience and benefit from Indigenous culture.  Jessica believes that art is like language; it is a medium to express ideas and to share information. Art helps share thoughts, ideas and visions that may not be able to be articulated any other way. Art has a full range of expression. The process of creating art engages people mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Creative art pieces can provide a history lesson, a historical record, a preservation of culture. It will document events and experiences and will allow individuals a richer understanding of the Indigenous history. We need art to understand and to share our individual and shared history.