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KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 30, 2025

When visitors step into the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York, they are surrounded by vibrant motion, light and sound. The walls shimmer with the animated brushstrokes of Seneca artist鈥疌arson Waterman, one of the most revered cultural figures of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. His paintings, rooted in heritage, resilience and the natural world, now move, breathe and envelop the viewer in a 27-minute, eight-projector experience conceived and created by faculty and students from鈥疓eer College of the Art鈥檚 School of Art and Design.

 The project, led by鈥疉ssistant Professor of Digital Animation Jeremy Speed-Schwartz, was commissioned by St. Bonaventure University in consultation with Waterman and members of the Haudenosaunee community. It marks a remarkable partnership between institutions nearly 900 miles apart and offers KSU students a rare opportunity to apply their skills in a professional, culturally significant setting. 
 
鈥淲e were approached by the Quick Center to help bring Carson Waterman鈥檚 art into an immersive format,鈥� said Speed-Schwartz. 鈥淗is work is ubiquitous across western New York 鈥� murals, stained glass, highway signage 鈥� and this was a chance to celebrate that legacy through motion, projection and sound.鈥� 
 
Speed-Schwartz and his team designed the more than 13,000-pixel-wide projection environment to surround visitors on all sides. The installation will remain on view through鈥痜all 2026, offering long-term engagement with Waterman鈥檚 story and the Seneca Nation鈥檚 artistic heritage. 
 
Art, Technology and Cultural Storytelling 
 
Unlike commercial 鈥渋mmersive鈥� exhibits modeled on famous painters, this project was built at a sustainable scale for a university museum and, importantly, in close collaboration with the artist and his community. The piece unfolds as a visual narrative inspired by interviews with Waterman, exploring the relationship between his art, his heritage and the evolving identity of the Seneca people. 
 
鈥淭he structure of the piece is almost like a documentary,鈥� Speed-Schwartz explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about his personal relationship with his heritage and his hopes for the future of Seneca art.鈥� 
 
The animation sequences bring to life Waterman鈥檚 recurring motifs 鈥� beadwork butterflies taking flight, the鈥疶hree Sisters (corn, beans and squash) embodying interdependence, and portraits of tribal mothers representing the matrilineal lines that sustain the Haudenosaunee community. 
 
鈥淭here鈥檚 a section focusing on women as leaders, and another that imagines the Seneca Nation reaching toward the stars,鈥� said Speed-Schwartz. 鈥淭hese were central themes Carson wanted us to highlight.鈥� 

Photography courtesy of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts

Students Learning Beyond the Classroom 
 
Six KSU animation students collaborated on the project: graduate students鈥疛illian Gregory鈥痑nd鈥疜orben Bauer, and undergraduates鈥疉biola Batiste,鈥疎mily Benoit,鈥疛asmin Cooper and鈥疢adison Jeffreys. They worked together to digitally layer, reconstruct and animate Waterman鈥檚 paintings at a scale far beyond a traditional classroom exercise. 
 
鈥淚t was an incredible opportunity to apply what we鈥檝e learned in real time,鈥� said Gregory. 鈥淲e did so much troubleshooting 鈥� measuring, re-measuring and communicating across states 鈥� but everyone we worked with at the museum was supportive and excited. Seeing it all come together was amazing.鈥� 
 
Speed-Schwartz noted that the students were deeply engaged in both the creative and technical problem-solving that the installation required. 鈥淭hey were compositing layers, filling backgrounds, animating intricate details -- things that required both artistry and engineering,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect example of how experiential learning prepares our students for real-world creative industries.鈥� 
 
For KSU鈥檚 School of Art and Design, this collaboration underscores the national reach and professional relevance of its animation program. 
 
鈥淭his project exemplifies the kind of boundary-pushing, interdisciplinary work our faculty and students are known for,鈥� said鈥疓eo Sipp, director of the School of Art and Design. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful fusion of art, technology and cultural respect, and it demonstrates how our programs connect with meaningful stories far beyond Georgia.鈥� 
 
The installation is open to the public at鈥痶he 鈥痑t St. Bonaventure University through September 2026. 

Photography courtesy of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts