Peter Hoffmeister, Ground Revision
Dyckman Farmhouse
4881 Broadway at 204th Street
New York, NY
Through March 31, 2020
Ground Revision is an exhibition of site-specific works installed in the period rooms of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum located in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan. Not far from the house is the site of a former burial ground where enslaved peoples were laid to rest (some from the Dyckman estate). Destroyed in the early 20th century as the area was developed, the graves were dug up with little care or concern, and the remains were ultimately lost. It is still unmarked to this day; a public school and its parking lot now stand at the site.
I was invited by the museum’s staff to join the ongoing conversation about this situation, and to address a deep history of white supremacy at the house through these works. The community is fighting to have the site remembered, and I hope these works will amplify the conversation, while offering a contemplative moment for visitors to the house.
Ground Revision is made possible in part with funding from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and administered by LMCC. UMEZ enhances the economic vitality of all communities in Upper Manhattan through job creation, corporate alliances, strategic investments, and small business assistance. LMCC empowers artists by providing them with networks, resources, and support, to create vibrant, sustainable communities in Manhattan and beyond.
