Re-memorying the Landscape

Olivia Massie '22

Paulson Initiative Intern 2019-20

I have always been curious about the ways in which memory affects the way in which we walk through a place, especially for Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples. Landscapes such as Central Park in New York, which was once Seneca Village, a thriving Black community, or Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, MN, where the land was violently stolen from the Dakhóta people all carry history - a history that affects how we move through that place today.

I remember being in Selma, Alabama and walking along the river and being surrounded by those great big trees that are covered in spanish moss and it was incredibly beautiful, yet you can feel the heaviness and grief of what has occurred there. Trees like those have been around for hundreds of years and have witnessed everything. On Sev green there is a great oak tree that has been there for 200 years, what has that tree seen? For my project I wanted to explore the historical memory of Wellesley College, particularly in connection to Slavery. To do this I have begun to dive into the archives and explore the life of the Hazard Family (Caroline Hazard was the 5th president of Wellesley College), whom had various connections to Slavery. Originally, I had planned to create an installation on campus that reflects on and speaks to what this memory means to me as I move through this campus, however it has evolved into a series of paintings. I hope to be able to continue exploring this memory and what it means for us in this landscape. I want it to not only serve as a reflection but also want it to transform into a set of actions to take to address this memory (which continues to impact us today) so that we can move forward.

Collaborators:

Suzanne Landgridge 

Bindu Nicholson '16

Wellesley College Archives