‘Reclamation: Narratives of Space, History, and Culture,” an exhibition organized in partnership with Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio, will open tomorrow at the Southampton History Museum and continue through Sept. 28. A free reception catered by Sant Ambroeus will take place tomorrow from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Registration on the center’s website is required.
The exhibition is inspired in part by the complex history of the Rogers Mansion, now home to the museum. Among its former residents was Samuel L. Parrish, a wealthy attorney and member of Southampton’s Gilded Age society.
While Parrish helped build several longstanding institutions, including the Parrish Art Museum and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, land development projects pursued by him and others, especially in Shinnecock Hills and around Lake Agawam, had a negative impact on the Shinnecock community and local residents of color, who experienced dispossession, displacement, and the destruction of sacred and ancestral sites.
“Reclamation” features work by BIPOC artists who live and work across the United States, including several alumni of the Ma’s House residency program in the Shinnecock community.
The artists are Dominick Cocozza, Chris Cook, Daesha Devon Harris, Dana Lynn Harper, Tammie Dupuis, Faith Evans, Angela Franklin, Sueey Gutierrez, Josie Licavoli, Henry Morales, Courtney Minor, Francena Ottley, Marisa de la Peña, Kimi Rodriguez de Picerno, Amelie Wang, and Carolina Yanez.
The exhibition has been organized by Jeremy Dennis, a Shinnecock artist and founder of Ma’s House, who said, “In a world where stories have been silenced, spaces overlooked, and cultures marginalized, this exhibition aims to provide a platform for artists to reclaim agency and amplify voices that deserve to be heard.”
Sarah Kautz, the museum’s executive director, said, “How might we reclaim what has been lost or omitted in the stories we tell about Southampton’s past? This is a challenging but compelling question. We’re so grateful to partner with Jeremy Dennis in bringing the perspectives of sixteen BIPOC artists together at Rogers Mansion -- Mr. Parrish’s old summer house -- to explore the possibilities of reclamation through creativity and learning.”
Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio is a communal art space based on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton. Featuring a residency program, shared art studio, communal library, and various art and history-based programs, the project aims to amplify the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color artists.
