Celebrating Black Mermaids: From Africa to America
Cookie Washington, Curator

The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs announces Celebrating Black Mermaids: From Africa to America, opening Friday, May 26 and on view through July 9. An opening reception will be held Saturday, May 27 from 2-5pm and is free and open to all. Family activities opening weekend include a mermaid coloring event on Sunday, May 28 from 12:30-3:00pm. A "live" mermaid will be on site to greet visitors.

This exhibition features the work of dozens of esteemed and award-winning fiber artists from across the United States, whose mixed-media works celebrate African goddesses as mermaid and water spirit, honoring the past and exploring them anew. The show’s theme contextualizes black mermaids through the history and belief systems of those forcibly removed from Africa and carried across the ocean. “Black mermaids traveled with enslaved Africans from Yoruba, West Africa, to distant lands, comforting them in the holds of the slave ships that took them far away from their homeland in Africa,” says Washington. “Because of the rich oral traditions of these peoples, few if any of these stories were written down until they were recorded by collectors of folk tales toward the end of the 19th century. The fine artistry in Celebrating Black Mermaids: From Africa to America is griot in nature. Each piece is a storyteller, using color, texture, form and embellishment to express a narrative.”

Opening Reception
City Gallery will host an opening reception for Anonymous Ancestors on Saturday, May 27, 2023 from 2pm to 5pm.