Shows & Events
The Point: Our Relationship to Land

Past Event

Sep 12 | 7:00 pm

The Point: Our Relationship to Land

The Loft - 118 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116

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Building on last season’s inaugural series, The Point returns this fall with more deep dives into urgent conversations prompted by the art in our spaces. Our Relationship to Land is inspired by our collaboration with The Trustees of Reservations presenting The Silverman Project and our presentation of We Are the Land from the Wampanoag Nation. A group of panelists including Adam Silverman (Common Ground artist) and Tess Lukey (Trustees) will anchor us in different understandings of how the land nourishes us and holds our history.

About The Point
At ArtsEmerson, the art is the provocation; conversation is the point. The Point is a conversation series that invites audiences to explore big questions in intimate settings. Hosted by a member of the ArtsEmerson team, local and national luminaries will offer their points of view on the urgent questions surfaced by the artists on our stages.

Info

Venue

The Loft
118 Boylston St. Boston, MA 02116

Dates

Sep 12, 2023 | 7:00 pm

Details

FREE w/ RSVP

Ages 12+

Deadline to RSVP is 3pm on Tuesday, 9/12. Those looking to sign up after 3pm can simply go to The Loft at 118 Boylston St; seating is first come, first served.

Get Tickets

Artists

About Adam Silverman’s Common Ground

“Before there was America the country, or the individual states and the ensuing territorial identities and resulting politics, there were the first peoples, and the land. The ground (clay), the oceans, lakes, rivers (water), and the plants/trees (wood ash).”

– Adam Silverman

Adam Silverman’s Common Ground is both an artwork and an invitation to an experience. By combining the tangible and abstract elements of clay, water, ash, and food, on the one hand, and mealtime rituals of conversation and convening on the other, Silverman uncovers a significant truth about the American experience.

During the roughest stretches of the global pandemic, Silverman–a Los Angeles-based artist–invited friends and acquaintances from throughout the United States and its territories to mail him supplies of clay, water, and ash. He combined each material into a single, fully integrated version of itself, one body of clay, one of water and one of ash and then used these materials to create the 56 ceremonial pots on view here, as well as plates, bowls, and cups for 56. The resulting artwork–a series of objects that stand in for each state and territory, is partial: Common Ground can only be completed when dinner guests are brought into conversation and mutual enjoyment. Silverman’s goal is to host meals throughout the nation to encourage people to come together across their many differences of land and dispossession, of race and identity, of gender, sexuality, politics and class. At the core of this project is a powerful goal: to create space for conversation and to shine a light on the bonds that form when we celebrate both the diversity and unity of our shared connection to these lands.

Silverman’s aspiration for Common Ground goes beyond displaying America’s natural materials. He aims to reflect the intricate fabric of its culture, society, and history, creating space for conversations across differences. By acknowledging our shared human experiences while embracing our unique identities, the project encourages us to embrace what we have in common.

Adam Silverman: Common Ground is presented in partnership with ArtsEmerson, Emerson College, and Art at The Trustees.

About Wampanoag Nation’s We Are the Land

The Wampanoag people have been stewarding their land for over 10,000 years across several eastern states, including Massachusetts. After colonization, their voice was silenced. We Are The Land is part pageant, part play, where audiences will hear directly from Wampanoag people telling their story of their relationship to the soil, how it was taken away, and how the nation has re-established themselves in a way that both honors their ancestors and looks toward the future. In collaboration with a multi-talented cast of Wampanoag artists, actors, historians and storytellers, Mashpee Wampanoag tribal members, Siobhan Brown, Hartman Deetz and Kitty Hendricks have brought this incredible event to fruition. After its premiere in Plymouth, UK, We Are The Land comes to Boston for a very special two performance engagement.

About Public Dialogue

ArtsEmerson’s Public Dialogue conversation series invites audiences to explore big questions in intimate settings. Hosted by a member of the ArtsEmerson team, local and national luminaries will offer their points of view on the urgent questions surfaced by the artists on our stages. Join us this season to dive deep into topics of cultural theft, government surveillance, and global approaches to decolonization.

Sep 12 | 7:00 pm

The Point: Our Relationship to Land

Info

Venue

Dates

Sep 12, 2023 | 7:00 pm

Details

FREE w/ RSVP

Ages 12+

Get Tickets

Artists

About Adam Silverman’s Common Ground

About Wampanoag Nation’s We Are the Land

About Public Dialogue

Gallery

Related Events

We Are The Land

Sep 29-30, 2023

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