Join Slavery North for the final talk in our series of five Fellow Talks in Spring 2025. Dr. Kathie Foley-Meyer discusses how her artistic practice uses the concept of ocean memory to contemplate the impacts of the slave trade in Massachusetts.
This hybrid talk is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the public.
Date/Time: Friday, May 2, 2025, 3-4 PM (EDT)
Location: Room 118, Ground Floor, 472 North Pleasant Street, UMass Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA, 01003
Parking: Paid parking in lot 52, behind 472 North Pleasant Street.
Online via Zoom:
https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/93348012613
Meeting ID: 933 4801 2613
Speaker: Dr. Kathie Foley-Meyer, Artist-in-Residence Fellow, Spring 2025
Moderator: Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson, Provost Professor of Art History & Founding Director Slavery North
Lecture: Voyages of “Desire”: Ocean Memory and the Slave Trade in Massachusetts
Lecture abstract:
The 120-ton cargo ship Desire, built in Marblehead in 1636, is widely cited as being the vessel that introduced the slave trade to Massachusetts. Using it as a refracting device, we can delve into considering the historical narratives, particularly those in Massachusetts, that have shaped our understanding of the global slave trade. We can introduce into the dialogue the concept of ocean memory of those who did not survive the voyages and remain in residence time in the ocean depths, allowing for a profound contemplation of the tremendous human cost of the endeavor.
Bio:
Kathie Foley-Meyer is a mixed media artist and arts consultant who completed her Ph.D. in Visual Studies at UC Irvine in 2023. Her artwork is inspired by the history of the African Diaspora, and explores themes of interconnectedness, ocean memory, visibility and transparency. As an arts consultant she worked on a corporate social responsibility program for a company in the global finance sector and has also provided services to local arts organizations serving Black communities in Los Angeles. She served on the board of LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) from 2011 to 2019, with the last three years as Chair. She was part of the art selection and advisory committees for Metro Art for the Los Angeles Expo Metrorail Line and has served on grant panels for the LA County Arts Commission. From 2021-2023 she was the co-host and producer of the podcast Outside:Inside Radio, a production of the Prison Arts Collective at San Diego State University.
For more information, please contact Emily Davidson (Director of Research and Engagement, Slavery North): [email protected]
