The Paintings of Leonard Peltier

After spending 50 years held in Federal Prisons, Leonard Peltier has finally returned home to the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa Nation in North Dakota. The Indigenous activist and elder from the American Indian Movement, a political prisoner for five decades, emerged into the daylight on February 18, 2025, released by a grant of clemency from President Biden, who commuted his sentence to home confinement. While in prison, Leonard began to paint. His life and his people shine through his creations. At the Fifteenth Street Friends Meeting House in New York City, a selection of his works will be on display, trucked here by his son and grandson from North Dakota. People will gather on Sunday, October 4th, starting with greetings and song at 2 pm, along with members of Leonard’s family. Leonard has been invited to attend, but tough restrictions administered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) on his travel remain in place. If the BOP grants a furlough, Leonard intends to make the trip. If Leonard’s furlough to NYC is not approved, he will appear on the movie-size Zoom screen that the Friends use for their Sunday meditation in this historic Quaker Meeting House. Peltier family members will be in attendance.