An artist's quest to discover her heritage as a Black woman on display in Granite Falls

Jammie Niemeyer devoted more than a year to learning the stories of 44 different African American men and women to learn the challenges they overcame and the contributions they made. They are celebrated by the portraits she created of each. — Jammie Niemeyer devoted more than a year to learning the stories of 44 different African American men and women to learn the challenges they overcame and the contributions they made. She created a portrait of each person about whom she learned.

By Tom Cherveny

March 25, 2023 at 7:11 AM

GRANITE FALLS — Growing up in a community where she was the only Black person was “very tough,” said Granite Falls native Jammie Niemeyer.

“It takes a toll on your brain and mental health. I felt I was a tree that had been chopped down,” she said.

Jammie Niemeyer celebrates her African American heritage in this recent work created by wood burning.

Coming to terms with her identity as a Black woman wasn’t so easy either.

It took 44 years.

She was a mother to three daughters and grieving the recent death of her husband when she decided it was time to “figure this out.”

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Niemeyer answers that question through her art with the portraits she created of 44 African American men and women. She chose scientists, civil rights leaders, professional athletes, musicians and entertainers. She learned their stories and invites others to learn about them with portraits that celebrate the spirit of each.

Their accomplishments helped her appreciate and understand her African American heritage. Theirs are the shoulders she stands on today.

Now 46, Niemeyer said she started her quest by learning the story of Florence Griffith Joyner. This was an obvious choice for her.

Jammie Niemeyer created this portrait of Michael Jackson. Most of the 44 portraits she completed of African American people whose stories she learned were done in black and white, but Jackson sports red, her favorite color.

Niemeyer was Jammie White when she graduated from high school in Granite Falls in 1984. She had excelled as a sprinter in track, and had aspirations of becoming an Olympian herself.

Ray Charles. Billie Holiday. Malcolm X. Mohammed Ali. Jesse Owens. Prince. Colin Powell.

Niemeyer said their stories are inspiring, but added that they are all people, and have their warts as well.

They had one thing in common: Each overcame challenges as Black people in America.

As has Niemeyer.

Jammie Niemeyer grew up in an all-white household and had no connection to her African American heritage until she began her own journey of discovery at age 44 by learning the histories of 44 African American men and women who overcame challenges in their lives. She is shown with a display of her more recent work in wood burning.

She never knew her biological father, who is Black, and to this day does not know his name. She grew up in an all-white household. She had no connection to African American culture anywhere in her life.

Olympic runner Jesse Owens is among the 44 African Americans that Jammie Niemeyer celebrates with portraits. She learned about how each of her subjects overcame challenges.

She has painful memories dating to early childhood of being bullied and treated differently because of her race.

Yet she always had her art. “Art has always been a part of my life. Always. As a kid, (I) couldn’t keep pencils out of my hand,” Niemeyer said. Teachers chastised her for the doodles and images that filled her notebooks, but they were essential to her.

This portrait of Ray Charles is one of 44 Jammie Niemeyer created as part of her quest to learn the stories of African Americans who helped change the world through their work.

Dyslexic, she relied on her art for the visual cues she needed for learning.

She also credits her art for mentally keeping her from going down the “bad rabbit holes” she could easily have fallen into during her times of struggle.

Her early art focused on drawing. Her 44 caricatures of famous African Americans reflects her growth in it. Each image is replete with much more than meets the eye for those who examine the details.

Her art took a major step just three years ago. Her partner introduced her to wood burning almost surreptitiously. It immediately became her passion. She is creating a range of works. They celebrate her love for the outdoors, her heritage, her love for family, and the worlds of fairy tales and fantasy.

Wood burning has become Jammie Niemeyer's passion in her art. When she is not creating her own works, she is offering art classes in-person and on social media.

Niemeyer makes her home in the Alexandria area today. She focuses her day on art as well as art instruction. She offers classes and posts videos she produces of different art techniques.

Her search for her African American identity has included efforts to learn about her biological father. It has yielded some success. She discovered a cousin, and met him at his home in Arizona.

Jammie Niemeyer has found a passion for wood burning and creates a wide range of works, including this outdoors scene with two cardinals flashing their red coloring.

“It was crazy looking at someone who looked like me,” she said.

Her cousin does not know his father, either. The two believe his father is a brother to Niemeyer’s father. Her cousin is also an artist and his mother is white. He too lived in a mainly white area that did not accept him, she said.

Jammie Niemeyer learned of the tremendous challenges that Billie Holliday overcame as part of her quest to learn about her own African American heritage. This portrait of Holliday is among 44 that she created of African Americans whose stories she learned. — Jammie Niemeyer learned of the tremendous challenges that Billie Holiday overcame as part of her quest to learn about her own African American heritage. This portrait of Holiday is among 44 that she created of African Americans whose stories she learned.

Her portraits of African Americans have been on display at a variety of locations from Marshall to Montevideo to Granite Falls over the past year. In Montevideo, she spoke to an audience about her journey to discover her identity.

But mostly, she speaks through her art. It has carried her through many difficult challenges in life. Were it not for her art, “I could very easily be a different person than I am,” she said.

“Art has been a huge, absolute guide helping me through all of this journey. Of course, it is not finished,” Niemeyer said.

See her art on her Facebook page Creative Creations by Jammie .

Jammie Niemeyer creates doodle images on sculptures both large and small as part of her art work today.

The "Mad Hatter" from Alice in Wonderland is the subject of this wood burning piece by Jammie Niemeyer.

More by Tom Cherveny:

By Tom Cherveny

Tom Cherveny is a regional and outdoors reporter for the West Central Tribune.
He has been a reporter with the West Central Tribune since 1993.

Cherveny can be reached via email at tcherveny@wctrib.com or by phone at 320-214-4335.

An artist's quest to discover her heritage as a Black woman on display in Granite Falls

Jammie Niemeyer grew up with no connection to her African American heritage. At age 44, she delved into the stories of 44 African Americans — and discovered herself.

'Who am I?'