Artists Susi Ryan, IlaSahai Prouty, and Christle Rawlins-Jackson with the first finished ‘sail-quilt.’ Taken by CAM Staff.
Artists Susi Ryan, IlaSahai Prouty, and Christle Rawlins-Jackson with the first finished ‘sail-quilt.’ Taken by CAM Staff.essels of Slavery: Forget Me Not, a new public art installation, interprets history of slavery on Cape Ann
On View on CAM Green: August 10 to September 1, 2024
GLOUCESTER, Mass – On view beginning August 10, the Vessels of Slavery: Forget Me Not public art installation aims to elaborate and interpret the history of slavery on Cape Ann. The project will be on view at Cape Ann Museum (CAM) Green off 13 Poplar St. through September 1.
Vessels of Slavery: Forget Me Not is a collaboration between artists Susi Ryan, Christle Rawlins-Jackson, and IlaSahai Prouty. Using their collective expertise in community-based art and engagement, quilting, historical research, and individual artistic practices, the artists conducted research and held several community engagements over the past two years to create this summer’s outdoor installation.
“It has been an absolute privilege to work with Susi, Ila, and Christle over the past two years as they’ve conceived of, researched, and developed this project,” says Miranda Aisling, Head of Education & Engagement at Cape Ann Museum. “We are so grateful for their depth of thought and skill as they draw attention to the history of enslavement in Cape Ann.”
The projecthas moved through four cycles, each rooted in a week-long stay on Cape Ann: Reclamation, Trade Winds, Persistence, and Honoring. The artist’s cumulative research and stories are on display in this summer’s outdoor art installation, which will feature six large ‘sail-quilts’.
In each cycle, the group conducted intimate investigations utilizing the resources of the Cape Ann Museum Library & Archives and additionally invited the community to consider the stories of the enslaved people of Cape Ann and the legacy of the slave economy from Cape Ann’s ports. Parallel to their research, the artists opened conversations with and between community members and institutions, holding space within the collective for acknowledging, grieving, honoring, and celebrating the enslaved and freed people of Cape Ann.
“This exhibit is a visual prayer to heal the trauma of those who were enslaved and the complexities of slavery on Cape Ann,” says artist Susi Ryan. “Our multi-faceted exhibit was created to bring their stories to light, as we celebrate with the community to honor and remember them. Ashe. Ashe.”
The artists were brought together by the work of Doris Prouty, an African American quilter who made Gloucester her home for nearly 50 years, when her work was exhibited posthumously at Janet & William Ellery James Center at CAM Green in 2022.
Vessels of Slavery: Forget Me Not will be on view Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. from August 10 to September 1.
Visitors are invited to attend an Opening Ceremony with remarks, food, and music on Saturday, August 10 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Museum will also host a CAMTalk on “Creating the Vessels of Slavery Project” on Saturday, August 24 at 1 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, visit www.capeannmuseum.org.
Vessels of Slavery: Forget Me Not is coordinated and funded by the Cape Ann Museum with support from the MassHumanities Expanding Massachusetts Stories Grant and the Essex Heritage Partnership Grant. The residency stays at Manship Artists Residency were funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Prometheus Circle of the Manship Artists Residency, the Revered Anne Deneen, and the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
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The Cape Ann Museum, founded in 1875, exists to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum’s Downtown campus is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming thousands of local, national, and international visitors annually to its exhibitions, programs and community led events. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the fisheries and granite industries, four historic structures, a Library & Archives and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. In Summer 2021, the Museum opened the 12,000 square foot Janet & William Ellery James Center at the Cape Ann Museum Green. This campus is located on the site at the intersection of Washington and Poplar Streets in Gloucester and will be open year-round beginning in October 2024.
The Cape Ann Museum’s Downtown campus is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. General admission is $15.00 adults, $12.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors, and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. Cape Ann residents can visit for free on the first Friday (from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) and second Saturday (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) of each month. More information can be found on www.capeannmuseum.org or please call (978)283-0455 x110.
