“An Ocean of Dignified Dust”,
Historical Exhibition
March 31st-April 4th 2016 at Yacht Haven Grande’s
Pop Up Gallery
(Click photo for more pictures on Facebook album)
#SankofaSaturday An Ocean of Dignified Dust exhibit documentary & panel discussion 5:30p April 2, 2016. Exhibit open through April 4th between 10-6p. Learn more about our proud Virgin Islands history through art from a number of local artists in these photos from just a quick peek of the exhibit including location, and actual artwork. Pass by this weekend and tell a friend to tell a friend about the panel discussion (Saturday) and the work itself. #SHARE
“The exhibition is a partnership between the curatorial team The Gri Gri Project (formerly PHR Art Projects) and The Dollar fo’ Dollar Culture and History Tour. The exhibition will open on March, 31st, Transfer Day in the Virgin Islands and will serve as a prelude to the Centennial Commemoration of Transfer, and will last through April 4th, 2016.
Its goal is to promote the historic & cultural value of the legacy of St. Thomas’s iconic ‘Coal Carriers’ and to provide the framework for a more permanent exhibition in the future. The exhibition takes its name from a line in the poem “Coal Carriers” by V.I. poet Cyril Creque.
The exhibit will prominently feature works by contemporary artists in the Virgin Islands. Among these are T’meed El and Aisha Zakiya Boyd’s photog
raphs taken during the annual Dollar fo’ Dollar Culture & History Tour commemorating the 1892 Coal Worker Strike, and artist La Vaughn Belle’s recent series done using the medium of charcoal. Also featured will be portraits in pencil done by Mary Ann Christopher, who until her passing was active in re-enacting QueenCoziah’s bamboula perform ance which fueled the 1892 strike. In addition, vintage paintings depicting Virgin Islands history by the late Albert Daniel will be on display.
The exhibit will also feature artifacts of historical interest related to coaling on St. Thomas (such as coins and postcards), various text documents to include poems and firsthand accounts related to coaling from books and newspapers, and video footage from a 1936 U.S. Department of the Interior production that features coal carriers.
The multimedia exhibit will also include a documentary produced by GriotLife Studio and Dena M. Fisher, and audio of family history narratives. The exhibition ope
ning will feature interpretative Bamboula dancers and musical performances. The exhibition will be held at Yacht Haven Grande, opening on March 31st from 6:30pm-9pm. We are planning to have panel discussions (April 2nd), and student workshops and curatorial discussions during the run of the exhibition. Invited panel guests include Nadine Marchena Kean, Senator Myron Jackson, Glenn Kwabena Davis and Ayesha Morris. This project will serve to educate and strengthen cultural identity within the Virgin Islands community, especially its youth. It will also enrich the heritage tourism experience of visitors by provoking a deeper respect and understanding of Virgin Islands history.
“Dollar fo’ Dollar Culture & History Tour: A Remembrance of the 1892 Coal Workers Strike on St. Thomas”The annual “Dollar fo’ Dollar Culture & History Tour: A Remembrance of the 1892 Coal Workers Strike on St. Thomas, has been held during the month of September for the past ten years. It is an interactive walking tour an
d reenactment commemorating the passive 1892 Coal Workers Strike on St. Thomas. This engaging educational event held throughout the town of Charlotte Amelie brings together historians, culture bearers, performers, artists, story tellers, and the general public. It serves to educate and celebrate Queen Coziah leadership and the hundreds of 19th century coal carriers whose successful strike led to better wages for the workers. The interpretive tour includes the historic sites that the coal workers navigated during the strike as well as those locations throughout the historic town that were relevant to the coaling industry on St.Thomas. The Gri Gri Project (formerly PHR Art Projects)
The mission of the Gri Gri project is the creation of interpretive exhibitions, critical writing,events and archives related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region. The team consists of independent curator Priscilla Hintz Rivera Knight and writer David Knight Jr. The Gri Gri Project has given presentations in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Cuba including a discussion at Havana’s renowned Casa Las Americas entitled “What is Africa to Me?: The African Presence in Contemporary Art in the Virgin Islands.” Exhibitions include “The Magnanimous Salon: A Celebration of the Contemporary Caribbean Baroque”,“Defend Paradise! Intersections between Social Change and Environmental Advocacy”, and “Camille Pissarro’s Journey.”Please come out and show your support.
~Ayesha Morris, The Dollar fo’ Dollar Culture and History Tour
https://www.facebook.com/DollarfoDollar
More news articles about the exhibit:
- http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2016/04/01/pop-art-exhibit-commemorates-coal-workers-strike
- http://stthomassource.com/content/arts-entertainment/things-do/2016/03/28/pop-exhibition-examine-legacy-st-thomas-coal-carrier
- http://www.viconnections.com/events/aaaan-ocean-of-dignified-dustaaa-an-interpretative-historical-art-pop-up-exhibition-18
- http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/island_life/pop-up-exhibition-explores-v-i-s-past/article_548c1034-b8b5-561d-8c73-3e0c99deec6b.html
