THEME
We hold these truths
We Hold These Truths asks us to consider the contrasts between the high ideals and the reality of oppression and enslavement of the founding and early formation of the United States.
ASHLEY TEAMER
We Are The Descendants
the artist's inspiration
“In 1838, 272 enslaved men, women, and children were sold by the Jesuits from plantations in Maryland to plantation owners in Louisiana. The profits from these sales helped save Georgetown University from financial ruin.”
This mural was crafted through meaningful dialogue with descendants of these 272 enslaved individuals. This deeply moving and inspirational conversation was made possible by the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation (descendants.org).
The background of We Are The Descendants is a collage of photographs I made of some of Louisiana’s most influential bodies of water – the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Pontchartrain. Louisiana’s combination of water, land, and climate makes it extremely hospitable for life. This landscape was home to generations of animals and plants before humans, and then this land held generations of indigenous people before colonization. In the 1700’s Louisiana became the site of enslavement precisely because of its natural resources. Today, the oil and gas industry threatens Louisiana’s remaining natural resources.
ASHLEY TEAMER
Ashley is a New Orleans-based artist whose work explores the complexities of black femininity through painting, collage, and animation. In both her visual and curatorial work, Teamer uses the object to inform and transform the gallery space. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (Miami), the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ACRE, and Ox-Bow School of Art. Her solo exhibitions include SneakerBoy Dreams, 4th Ward Project Space, Chicago IL (2017); The Writings On the Wall, Bruce Martin Gallery, Richmond VA (2016); and Booty Galaxy, Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans, LA (2014). Her work has also been included in group exhibitions at Fort Gansevoort (New York), Antenna Gallery (New Orleans), and SOMArts (San Francisco), among other venues. Teamer received her BFA in Painting and SCulpture from Boston University in 2013.
Let's make our shared ideals a reality. For everyone.
I combined painting and collage to illustrate the interwoven relationship between the history of enslavement and the history of the Louisiana landscape. On top of this collage, I painted profiles that represent generations of the 272. These profiles overlap and wrap around the sculpture, representing how each generation shapes the next in an unending circle of life. I painted water, life, birth, death, fieldwork, and Catholicism carried by generations of Descendants. Some descendants of the 272 are Catholic or grew up with relatives who were Catholic because their ancestors were enslaved by the Catholic Church. It was important to represent the contradiction of the Catholic Church's claims of morality against its role in enslaving human beings. Today, many institutions that claim to protect life actually destroy it. It was also essential that this painting portray the commodification of enslaved mothers' wombs and the vulnerability of enslaved children. The experiences of mothers and children are what shape future generations.
I encourage you to reflect and discuss what this imagery means to you.
This artwork was made in response to the theme We Hold These Truths, which sets the experience of the Descendants into the context of the founding of America. I am a descendant; millions of African Americans are descendants. We are living history. The slaveholding founders did not believe all men were created equal. Though we cannot change the past, how we reconcile with it today will determine our future. When speaking to the community of Descendants, I was impressed with how each of them is passionately working towards a world that their ancestors could only dream of.
Ashley’s “If I Could Tell You Just One Thing…”
"What emancipatory future can you imagine for your descendants? What will you do to achieve it?”
We Are The Descendants
Ashley
Teamer
explore the theme
the artist's inspiration
“In 1838, 272 enslaved men, women, and children were sold by the Jesuits from plantations in Maryland to plantation owners in Louisiana. The profits from these sales helped save Georgetown University from financial ruin.”
This mural was crafted through meaningful dialogue with descendants of these 272 enslaved individuals. This deeply moving and inspirational conversation was made possible by the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation (descendants.org).
The background of We Are The Descendants is a collage of photographs I made of some of Louisiana’s most influential bodies of water – the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Pontchartrain. Louisiana’s combination of water, land, and climate makes it extremely hospitable for life. This landscape was home to generations of animals and plants before humans, and then this land held generations of indigenous people before colonization. In the 1700’s Louisiana became the site of enslavement precisely because of its natural resources. Today, the oil and gas industry threatens Louisiana’s remaining natural resources.
CAPITOL PARK, detroit
june 2024
Let's make our shared ideals a reality. For everyone.
ASHLEY TEAMER
Ashley is a New Orleans-based artist whose work explores the complexities of black femininity through painting, collage, and animation. In both her visual and curatorial work, Teamer uses the object to inform and transform the gallery space. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (Miami), the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ACRE, and Ox-Bow School of Art. Her solo exhibitions include SneakerBoy Dreams, 4th Ward Project Space, Chicago IL (2017); The Writings On the Wall, Bruce Martin Gallery, Richmond VA (2016); and Booty Galaxy, Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans, LA (2014). Her work has also been included in group exhibitions at Fort Gansevoort (New York), Antenna Gallery (New Orleans), and SOMArts (San Francisco), among other venues. Teamer received her BFA in Painting and SCulpture from Boston University in 2013.
I combined painting and collage to illustrate the interwoven relationship between the history of enslavement and the history of the Louisiana landscape. On top of this collage, I painted profiles that represent generations of the 272. These profiles overlap and wrap around the sculpture, representing how each generation shapes the next in an unending circle of life. I painted water, life, birth, death, fieldwork, and Catholicism carried by generations of Descendants. Some descendants of the 272 are Catholic or grew up with relatives who were Catholic because their ancestors were enslaved by the Catholic Church. It was important to represent the contradiction of the Catholic Church's claims of morality against its role in enslaving human beings. Today, many institutions that claim to protect life actually destroy it. It was also essential that this painting portray the commodification of enslaved mothers' wombs and the vulnerability of enslaved children. The experiences of mothers and children are what shape future generations.
I encourage you to reflect and discuss what this imagery means to you.
This artwork was made in response to the theme We Hold These Truths, which sets the experience of the Descendants into the context of the founding of America. I am a descendant; millions of African Americans are descendants. We are living history. The slaveholding founders did not believe all men were created equal. Though we cannot change the past, how we reconcile with it today will determine our future. When speaking to the community of Descendants, I was impressed with how each of them is passionately working towards a world that their ancestors could only dream of.
Ashley’s “If I Could Tell You Just One Thing…”
"What emancipatory future can you imagine for your descendants? What will you do to achieve it?”
THEME
WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS
We Hold These Truths asks us to consider the contrasts between the high ideals and the reality of oppression and enslavement of the founding and early formation of the United States.
For everyone. For you.
By all of us. Join us.
explore the theme
PURPOSE
in our relationship with ourselves.
WORTHINESS
I am worthy of love dignity and respect.
AWARENESS
I know how I see the world and where it comes from.
BELIEF
I believe I have something valuable to offer.
PURPOSE
I know what inspires me and what I want to do.