Release provided by Historic Sotterley.
Historic Sotterley is honored to be partnering with the Boyden Gallery at St. Mary’s College of Maryland to bring the public a new art exhibit titled “Sharing our Common Humanity from Common Ground," featuring the first 38 portraits of Historic Sotterley Descendants by artist Nicole Stewart with additional work by photographer Ken Barlow and quilter Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither.
Visitors can view the exhibit from September 30 through December 12 during the Boyden Gallery’s open hours, Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A special soft opening of the exhibit will be available for viewing on Monday, September 29, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and an opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Tuesday, September 30, from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. Both the soft opening and the reception are open to the public.
Nicole Stewart’s Sotterley Descendants Portrait Project is a two-year commitment she has made to paint as many registered Sotterley descendants as possible, aiming to complete somewhere between 60 and 100 total portraits.
This exhibit of the first 38 portraits serves as the introduction for many visitors to Historic Sotterley and Historic Sotterley’s Descendant Project, with new portraits and more information in subsequent exhibitions throughout our area.
Nicole Stewart said about the project, “By painting Sotterley Descendants, I want to honor all the ancestors who lived on the land and who built the Maryland that I love, and to the descendants who spread across the land, who continue to build and support their states and our country. I want to create work that changes our perspective of our history and our future.” Historic Sotterley’s trailblazing Descendants Project started with Descendants Agnes Kane Callum and John Hanson Briscoe and was formalized into an official program in 2017. Since then, we’ve connected with over 300 self-identified Descendants living in 30 states and across 6 countries, representing ancestors who were enslaved, owners, and 20th-century laborers.
Historic Sotterely has been honored to have Descendants serve on their Board of Trustees and have supported and cheered on Descendants who have been involved in projects not only at Historic Sotterley, but across the country, including Africatown "Clotilda Descendants," Riversdale House Museum, Cremona Plantation, Dela Brooke Plantation, Deep Falls, White Marsh Manor, GU272 Descendants Association, James Madison's Montpelier, Concord House Museum and the East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference. Historic Sotterley is excited to support artist Nicole Stewart in this exhibit and share the power, diversity, and connection of our Descendant community with the world. This project has been made possible in partnership with St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the Maryland State Arts Council and the Southern Maryland Folklife Center.
