Fort Point

Before starting on our current adventure (Israel and northern Spain) we had a chance to see a unique exhibition in San Francisco at Fort Point, a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay tucked under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Fort Point is a national historic site and was built between 1853 and 1861 by the US Army Engineers and the special exhibition installed by “For Site” invited 17 artists to respond to the theme “Black Gold” which reflects on the resilience, struggles and triumphs of African Americans who lived in California from the Gold Rush to Reconstruction. The individuals documented are untold stories of brave individuals who struggled against slavery and for their legal rights in this “free” state.

Mildred Howard has draped statues of Peter Burnett, William Gwinnett, Francis Scott Key in striking red fabric to prompt a reckoning with the legacies of White Suprematism embedded in our public monuments. In class we will be having conversations about the issue of revising history. All three of these men were slave owners. These were three of the statues overturned in Golden Gate Park following the murder of George Floyd. The color is the color of resistance.

Brian Keith Thomas carefully selected objects and furnishings to evoke Black Californians of the Gold Rush era. Some individuals were highly successful in business and even so some were re-enslaved after reaching California when the legislature changed the rules. “Solidarity” by Hank Willis Thomas has created the enduring symbol of unity, resistance, and power. The raised fist is best known as the symbol of the Black Panther Party but throughout history was used by groups such as trade unions and anti-fascists, those fighting for women’s rights, and gay rights as well.

Mary Ellen Pleasant said “Of the two, I would rather be a corpse than a coward”. She lived from 1814-1904, an abolitionist and entrepreneur who helped shape California during the Gold Rush and beyond. She ran boarding houses nurturing the Black community in San Francisco. Recordings of her played quotes that highlight what we can learn from her wit, financial acumen, and moral compass.

Isaac Julien’s photographs from “Lessons of the Hour” were inspired by the 19th century abolitionist, orator, and statesman Frederick Douglas. These images are key moments from Douglas’s life blending storytelling with historical reenactment. Douglas was the most photographed person of his time, even more than Abraham Lincoln. Carla Edward’s flag “Tear” reimagines our flag as an icon of struggle and hope. Her inspiration comes from protest actions, quilt making, and traditions of abstraction. She sees the flag as being imbued with shifting meanings.

Alison Saar’s cast bronze “Lost Boys” is a tribute to the lost boys o Sudan, 20,000 children forced to flee the country often without shoes during the second Sudanese civil war. Even in “free” states like California, many new arrivals lived in fear due to federal and state fugitive slave laws that mandated their arrest, deportation, and return to bondage, as well as harsh punishment for those who helped them. The beaded curtain invites you to walk through, images of Black gold panning from Gold Rush days.

“By Land By Sea By Star” is the title of Umar Rashid’s tent installations. The tents explore the legacies of William Shorey, James Beckwourth, and unknown future explorers. These men navigated the complexities of race, power, and survival. Shorey was a revered Black whaling captain based in Oakland, CA. Beckwourth was born a slave and became one of California’s trailblazing frontiersmen. Each tent depicts the man’s life with the third one unknown for what or who will shape the future. The chain needs no explanation.