| The Amelie A. Wallace Gallery at the State University of New York College at Old Westbury is pleased to announce the opening of “Marisa Williamson, Sweet Chariot: The Long Journey to Freedom through Time.” The exhibition features several videos created by Marisa Williamson for her project, Sweet Chariot (2017), originally a video scavenger hunt in the city of Philadelphia. Developed with support from Monument Lab, Sweet Chariot involved a scratch-off map and image recognition smartphone app containing pictorial and written clues to unlocking videos launched by augmented reality triggers. Sweet Chariot explores African-American historical struggles for freedom. The original project involved the walking tour map, eight immersive videos, and supplemental clues and context through the app. With these features, tourists and locals alike could discover hidden moments in the landscape of historic Philadelphia. Murals, plaques, and other markers served as signposts through time and through the neighborhood, ultimately finding the resting place of the story's main character, Amelia Brown. Sweet Chariot serves as a monument to centuries of sorrow and joy in the city of Philadelphia. Four independent video works from Sweet Chariot will be presented. Each video is a creative and collaborative interpretation of a story from Philadelphia’s rich African American history: Congo Square, The Museum of The American Revolution, The Philadelphia Negro, and Weccaccoe Playground. Congo Square in Philadelphia was a seventeenth century burial ground for enslaved Africans. Williamson’s video features a dance performance by Noelle Lorraine Williams, inspired by West African and African American mourning and celebratory traditions. Lamont B. Steptoe’s poem from Meditations on Congo Square (2006) is narrated by the artist. Williamson’s The Museum of The American Revolution, originally triggered by the bronze sculpture at the Museum of the American Revolution, features a story of Margaret Forten (1722–1806), a domestic worker, single mother, and former slave. While little is known about Forten’s life, her legacy lives on through the impact of her children, among whom were philanthropist and activist James Forten (1766–1842). Forten is brought to life by actress Dena Bleu, and by the poetry of Philadelphia poet laureate Yolanda Wisher. The Philadelphia Negro is a moving panorama or tableau vivant featuring the words of pioneering sociologist W.E. B. Dubois. The death of early civil rights activist Octavius Catto (1839–1871) is a footnote to the social history of the city’s Seventh Ward. The video features collaborative work by Jay Simple, Devin Kenny, and actor Raymond Reese. The last video, Swing Low, features Weccacoe Playground, which is also Mother Bethel Burial Ground. A stop-motion chalk animation made in collaboration with the artist Gabrielle Patterson marks this hallowed ground with ancestor’s footsteps. Yolanda Wisher’s Sweet Tea Blues tells Amelie Brown’s story. Related Public Program: Artist Biography: Williamson has produced site-specific works at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (2013), Storm King Art Center (2016), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2016), the University of Virginia (2018), and SPACES Cleveland (2019), and by commission from Monument Lab Philadelphia (2017), and the National Park Service (2019). Her work has been featured in exhibitions at Artpoetica, SOHO20, and BRIC in Brooklyn, The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (NYC), Vox Populi (Philadelphia), Mana Contemporary Chicago, Human Resources (LA), and Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, and Stefania Miscetti gallery in and Rome. Williamson has been awarded grants from the Graham Foundation, Rema Hort Mann Foundation, and the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America. She has been a resident artist at the University of Virginia, Triangle Arts Association, the Shandaken Project, and ACRE. She was a participant in the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture in 2012, and the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program in 2014–2015. About the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery: Additional Information: For directions to the College, see the link here. Please visit our gallery website, Facebook page, Instagram page or follow us on Twitter. For more information, contact: Curator & Director: Hyewon Yi, PhD (516) 876-2709 Gallery Hours: Location: Directions: |