My Story

Jennifer M. Stevens, Artist, Singer, Composer, and Educator was born in Annandale, Virginia and grew up in De Pere, Wisconsin since she was 5 years old and currently residing in Bayview-Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She has weaved a creative life in the Arts throughout her life; Music and Art has been a major part of her life since she was a child.  The Arts started out not just a way to express herself; it had become inspirational and healing as well. 

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Jennifer M. Stevens is the youngest daughter of nationally known Native American Leader; National Native American Hall of Fame Awardee, Economic Development Specialist, Advocate For Native Americans Rights and Education and Staff Sargent for the Marines, Ernest L. Stevens Sr and Patricia Ann Stevens.  She is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin through her father and descendent of the Lakota nations; Oglala, Rosebud, Lower Brule, Hunkpapa, and Arikara, and French, English, German, and Irish-Spanish through her Mother.  Jennifer M. Stevens is part of the Wolf Clan-Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, and her Oneida name is Waˀkohsi•yó, (Wah-goh-see-yoh) that is a description of a Peacock, "A Beautiful Bird With A Long Tail."  Her Lakota name is, Wíŋyaŋ Wašté (Wee-yah Wah-Shtay) that means, "Good Woman."  Due to Jennifer M. Stevens exposure to being multi-racial, she grew to  have a mindfulness of all cultures and enjoys learning about cultures all over the world and loves to travel.  Although, Jennifer M. Stevens appreciates all cultures of the world, she has grown a great appreciation of her Indigenous tribes that has inspired her in many ways.  Stevens is also inspired by Classical and Opera music, especially Italian Opera.  Italian Opera has been a major influence in Stevens' Singing and Composing.  

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Stevens attended West De Pere High School and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree-Studio Art with a focus on Ceramics, Painting, and Sculpture at St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI.  She also has an Honorary Master's Degree in Prehistoric Oneida Pottery allowing her to teach K-College, and studied Voice-Classical and Opera both in College and Privately nationally and abroad.  Jennifer M. Stevens believes in higher education and striving to develop herself in her field, but it wasn't always easy; she was the 1st Grader labeled with a Learning Disability, held back a grade, and struggled throughout Elementary School and even college, but she found ways to overcome her challenges and discovered, "She learned differently," and in many instances fell through the cracks of our Education System, but ended up excelling in school.  

Due to Stevens challenges in school and learning about herself, it has made her very aware of the importance of looking at each person and student uniquely, figure out how each person learned, how to reach the student and help them thrive, and she ended up becoming a nationally known teacher.  Jennifer M. Stevens had surpassed her challenges, made great strides in her career that was not expected, and she is so inspired by her story and currently calls her teaching methods, "Creative Curriculum."  The Arts had played a major role in helping Jennifer M. Stevens survive through mainstream education; she had to tap into her own creativity and determination to push through her challenges, and ended up thriving in school and her career in various capacities. In Jennifer M. Stevens 20’s, she took herself to get tested to understand her “Learning Disability,” that plagued her for many years, and took numerous tests.  The results of her tests was; she did not have Attention Deficit and they discovered a gift.  Jennifer M. Stevens Tests sky rocketed;  her Perceptional Organization Skills were at 120%.  She is 40% higher then the National Average.  She later discovered that she is classified as a “Creative Genius.”  

Jennifer M. Stevens is currently a 3rd generation Educator and inspired by her father, Ernest L. Stevens Sr, who taught Native American History, Economics, and Community Development, and her grandmother, Maria Hinton, was a well known Oneida Linguist, K-College Instructor, and co-author of the first Oneida-English Dictionary of 35,000 words.  Her grandmother recorded all the Oneida words for the UWGB Online Oneida Dictionary starting at 95 years old and she completed it for her 100th birthday.  Jennifer M. Stevens is currently teaching Prehistoric Indigenous Pottery, she has developed "Cultural Creative Curriculum," utilizing ancient Native American Art such as Prehistoric Indigenous Pottery, and developing curriculum in the modern day classroom.  Stevens has been the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Hocokata Ti Cultural Center:  Maka Pottery Studio Manager and Pottery Consultant for two years and shifting her role as a Guest Artist.  She has been teaching K-College Nationally as a Guest Prehistoric Indigenous Potter for 23 years.  This fall 2025, Jennifer M. Stevens has been invited to be one of the Electa Quinney Institute for the American Indian Education and Native American Student Center, Artist-In-Residence, as a Guest Speaker and Prehistoric Indigenous Pottery Instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI.       

Jennifer M. Stevens is currently a nationally known Artist, Classical Singer, Self-taught Classical Contemporary Composer, and Educator-Teaching K-College.  Stevens had achieved in an array of the arts that many call her a "Renaissance Woman," and she takes great pride in that and honored!  Due to Jennifer M. Stevens creative endeavors, being an Indigenous woman in the Arts, studying opera, composing, and becoming a well known Prehistoric Indigenous Potter and Pottery Instructor; her life has generated an intrigue to producers and authors.  She worked with producers, Fred Wessel and Eileen Littig, and this led to being a featured Artist, Singer, and Composer for two documentaries on PBS/WPT, Wisconsin Life-Jennifer M. Stevens, and Owe.la’: The Music Within Jennifer Stevens.  Jennifer M. Stevens' goal with both documentaries; she wanted to utilize her story as an Indigenous Woman in the Arts to inspire others.  Ultimately Stevens wants to show others to pursue their callings regardless if they are called in a direction that may not be mainstream for others, and the path a person is meant to carve for themselves ends up an inspiration for others, especially youth and young adults.  

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Jennifer M. Stevens has been a Guest Artist, Public Speaker, Guest Instructor, and Featured Artist, Singer and Composer and featured in books such as; Culture In Clay: The Revitalization of Iroquois Pottery by her Master Pottery Instructor, Rose A. Kerstetter, and Encyclopedia Native American Music of North America by Timothy Archambault, Elaine Keillor, John M. H. Kelly.  Jennifer M. Stevens was also featured in the prestigious Milwaukee Magazine.  Her life in the Arts led to Singing and performing her original music at the Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ, Crazy Horse Monument, Custer, SD, McPhail Performing Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, Indian Summer Festival, Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee Museum of Art, Milwaukee, WI, and Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL.  Jennifer M. Stevens was also a guest composer for the prestigious La Biennial del Venezia, Venice, Italy's International Contemporary Music Festival under the direction of renown Native American Composer, Brent Michael Davids and with fellow Indigenous composers such as; Louis Ballard, Russell Wallace, and Dawn Avery.  Stevens has also tapped into the Visual Arts Scene as a Guest Artist at the Crazy Horse Monument. Custer, SD, Iroquois Indian Museum, Howes Cave, NY, Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Formally known as the Mitchell Museum of the American Indians), and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI.  Jennifer M. Stevens is very appreciative of her life in the arts that has created a unique journey; a path that lead her all over the world.  Stevens believes that the Arts can change the world and has such a positive impact on humanity; being part of that beautiful ripple feeds her fire and inspires her in all that she does.

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