Art Exhibit — Maya Freelon: Whippersnappers at Historic Stagville

Maya Freelon: Whippersnappers will premiere large-scale sculptures, archival photographs, paintings, and collages that transform the former plantation. On view through January 25, 2025, exhibition hours are Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm and by appointment. For viewings by appointment, contact stagville@dncr.nc.gov.

Whippersnappers, Freelon’s first large-scale installation featuring portraiture, was born from her research of enslaved children highlighted in the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. The site-specific installation features new works on view in Stagville’s 1799 Bennehan House, the preserved home of the former plantation owners. Using thousands of pieces of tissue paper in a myriad of ways, Freelon has created a visual dreamscape through large-scale sculptures and quilts all utilizing her signature “bleeding” tissue paper techniques, alongside historical documents from the Library of Congress and other significant archives, and artifacts from the North Carolina Historic Sites Collection.

Whippersnappers is organized by Art on the Land, a North Carolina Historic Sites initiative seeking to activate sites of memory through artistic collaborations, place-based art, editorial offerings, and gatherings. Art on the Land is directed and curated by Director of North Carolina Historic Sites, Michelle Lanier, and Curator-at-Large, Johnica Rivers.