BlackRock Center For The Arts to Present ECHOES OF THE UNMAPPABLE By Jessica Valoris

Echoes of the Unmappable by Jessica Valoris is an immersive testament to the sacred & courageous resistance of Black freedom-seeking ancestors.

In a world where narratives of Juneteenth are often diluted or distorted, this installation seeks to re-center the practices of Black ancestors who reconceptualized what freedom meant in words, action, and in ways of being.

Echoes of  the Unmappable honors the myriad ways that fugitive, maroon, and freedom-seeking Black ancestors activated practices of land stewardship, mutual aid organizing, re-wilding, and kinship to subvert the algorithms of empire.

The exhibition pulls from Jessica Valoris' research into these legacies in Maryland (and beyond) for the How We Be Free: Black Fugitive Study Kit, a project she is currently cultivating within her community. The study kit contains a set of playing cards, dice, and booklet with quotes, prompts, and historical context. The study kit and the installation highlight the freedom-seeking practices of Black people during slavery and its aftermath. 
Through Echoes of the Unmappable, visitors are encouraged to actively engage with ongoing legacies of Black liberation and consider their own place in the narrative of freedom and justice. Reflecting on how they can contribute to movements for liberation in their own communities (ie. abolition, reparations, land back, mutual aid, ceasefire, etc.) they are urged to let these histories inspire them to challenge oppressive systems, embody collective solidarity, and work towards creating a world of peace, justice, and care.
 

www.jessicavaloris.com @jessicavaloris
 

On View in the Kay Gallery

15 JUN–25 AUG 2024
Tues–Sun: 12:00 PM–6:00 PM

Reception + Artist talk

13 JUL 2024
2:00–5:00 PM | Talk @ 4:00 PM

Call + Response Workshop

24 AUG 2024
2:00–5:00 PM

Located in Germantown, Maryland, BlackRock Center for the Arts brings inspiring performing and visual arts experiences to diverse audiences in a welcoming and intimate setting, providing opportunities to explore, celebrate and engage in the arts.