PORTSMOUTH AFRICAN BURYING GROUND

The Memorial design, including the site plan as well as conception and fabrication of all sculptural elements by Jerome Meadows. Shown here during sculpture installation. (Click on images to enlarge)

I stand for the Ancestors Here and Beyond

I stand for those who feel anger

I stand for those who were treated unjustly

I stand for those who were taken from their loved ones

I stand for those who suffered the middle passage

I stand for those who survived upon these shores

I stand for those who pay homage to this ground

I stand for those who find dignity in these bones

Jerome Meadows

Formal entry into the memorial.

Life size bronze figure representing the first enslaved individual brought into Portsmouth in 1645.

 

Life size bronze female figure on the opposite side of the dividing wall representing Mother Africa.

The hand of each figure reaches towards the other around the dividing wall, remaining separated.

Proceeding through the Memorial along the Petition Line containing excerpts from a formal document submitted to the New Hampshire legislature in 1779 by 20 enslaved individuals  petitioning for their freedom (to no avail). To the right is the Information Marker which provides context with regards to the objective of the Memorial and the artistic elements in it, as well as the poem - I Stand For Those Forgotten.

The Ceremonial Plaza contains a reburial vault (foreground) sealed with a large mosaic Sankofa symbol.  The vault, designed to hold exhumed remains placed in 9 wooden boxes, was permanently sealed on the day of the dedication.  

The 8 vertical bronze and concrete Community Figures represent the contemporary community standing up in recognition of the 200 souls buried here. Each figure contains an etched line from the poem, presented above, written in keeping with the theme of the Memorial.

Ceramic tiles set into the railing designed around a motif based on a Kinte cloth pattern. The 110 tiles were derived from original drawings created in a workshop which I undertook with students from a local Middle School.

The Portsmouth, NH African Burying Ground on Chestnut Street between State and Court.

For additional information please check out the following links:

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/24/409286733/in-new-england-recognizing-a-little-known-history-of-slavery 

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140817/NEWS/408170334/-1/WAP&template=wapart 

http://soundnh.com/a-new-conversation/ 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/05/23/african-history-remembered-new-hampshire/sKdHsPXZjPVo4gHh0Rt5QP/story.html 

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20150524/NEWS50/150529582

http://bcove.me/6cd9vv8p 

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/michael-paul-williams/article_fe3c6d15-65fc-54d5-a558-8ec291dc841e.html 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=720119244737183&id=149987181750395

http://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/these-walls-can-talkand-they-should/Content?oid=2762418

SUN & MOON - A Sculptural Haiku

You be my Sun
I'll be your Moon
and we shall orbit the skies
as one

This sculpture installed in association with the Bluffton Arts Fair, Bluffton, SC, and in cooperation with the Pluff Mud Gallery.  The piece stands just over 6' tall; the materials include bronze and aluminum plate, Spanish Cedar and stainless steel hardware.

Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition at Honey Horn Park, Hilton Head, SC

"WHEN IN NATURE BECOME AS ONE"

Installed September 20th 2013.  One of 20 sculptures selected for display out of 500 applicants.

The piece consists of Salisbury Pink granite "legs", approximately 800lbs each, and1/8" varied textured bronze plate comprising the upper portion. It stands 10' tall, with the negative cut out figure capturing and being defined by the environment as seen through it.

New Sculpture Series: The Body In Spirit

Mock ups for a new series of large scale sculptures combining stone supports and metal cut-outs.  The work to the right is a completed piece that has been juried into an outdoor sculpture exhibition on Hilton Head Island slated for mid September.

Savannah Gardens Project - in progress

The commissioned work in progress at MeadowLark Studio.  All of the components utilized in creating this multi-unit artwork are re-purposed from discarded materials.

Top image: three industrial fan blades positioned and temporarily held aloft; the cast aluminum letters attached to the surface of each are from a demolished school previously located in the area; the cardboard cut outs represent forms that have been cut from chalkboards discarded from the same school as the letters.

Bottom image: a mosaic circle measuring 7' in diameter created from various ceramic tiles fabricated in the studio and left over as extras from many years of previous public art projects.

Savannah Gardens Public Art Commission

This is the first contemporary public art work commissioned by the city of Savannah. After numerous community input sessions and lengthy review by various municipal agencies and individuals, the City Council unanimously approved the creation of this mixed media, abstract work for permanent placement in a newly developed residential community - Savanna Gardens.

Portsmouth African Burying Ground Entry Figures

Scale model of the two life size bronze figures designed and rendered for the entrance to the African Burying Ground Project. This artwork was recently awarded a coveted N.E.A. ART WORKS GRANT: "The creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence."  Each figure will be standing on opposite sides against a tall granite wall, their hands reaching around the edge towards one another. Dedication of this project is scheduled for May 23rd, 2015.