ART! The Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project, Spencer Evans, sculptor

Photos: Travis DeLong

Dedicated to presenting an honest and hopeful commemoration of Bristol’s involvement in the local and Transatlantic trade and enslavement of African and Indigenous peoples, emphasizing the importance of memory, truth, education, and healing, the Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project dedicated and unveiled “Our Ancestors Come With Us” sculptures at Independence Park in Bristol.

The sculpture’s location in Independence Park (a public space in historic downtown Bristol) sits just steps from the former DeWolf warehouse, where slave ships once embarked.

Presentations made at the unveiling can be watched here:

The memorial  is a life-sized bronze sculpture created by Spencer Evans, an accomplished artist and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. Spencer, who himself is a descendant of enslaved people, was chosen over other artists because of his deep connection to the history of slavery and its enduring impact.

“My concept for the memorial is based on the love and respect for my ancestors who endured the Middle Passage, as well as a life in bondage long enough to be emancipated, which resulted in generations of descendants being able to live and thrive on this land today,†said Spencer. “It is also rooted in the same respect for the ancestors and descendants of Pokanoket people who lived in harmony with this land before any of us.â€

From organizers:

More than 250 people gathered on Bristol’s historic waterfront, including U.S. Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Gabe Amo, for the dedication and unveiling of Our Ancestors Come With Us, a life-size memorial by artist and RISD professor Spencer Evans.

Hosted by the Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project (BMPPMP), the two-hour program honored the lives impacted by slavery with songs, land acknowledgments, and powerful reflections on remembrance, healing, and justice.

Highlights included performances by soloist Rose Weaver; remarks from Pokanoket Nation leaders Sachem Tracey Dancing Star Brown and Sagamore Winds of Thunder William Guy; and a commemoration of UNESCO recognition from Victoria Johnson of the Newport Middle Passage Project. BMPPMP founders Elizabeth Sturgis Llerena and Hooky Fulton, both DeWolf descendants, spoke movingly of acknowledgment and healing.

Congressman Amo and Senator Reed delivered remarks, followed by Professor B. Anthony Bogues, Director of Brown University’s Simmons Center for Slavery and Justice, who called for restorative justice in his address Memorials as Calls for Action.

The ceremony concluded with a keynote by sculptor Spencer Evans, who dedicated the memorial as a tribute to the ancestors, centered on truth, hope, and love.

Learn more about Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project HERE.

More photos and info on the unveiling on their Facebook page HERE.