Make the River Present
The Black Heritage Water Trail of St. Louis is a collaborative effort through the WashU & Slavery Project to recover and engage African American histories of the rivers of St. Louis. The project was initiated by faculty in African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis in 2022 and has been expanded and managed by the WashU & Slavery Project since 2023. The project works with campus and community partners to explore and commemorate the Black heritage of our mighty rivers. We hope to strengthen connection to our rivers through greater remembrance and interaction, combining research and digital projects, with occassional river excursions with campus and community partners.
Make the River Present encourages creative engagement with the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and highlights present-day and ancestral stewardship of the rivers and surrounding environments, focusing on Indigenous and African American perspectives. An interactive exhibition of contributions of artists and cultural stewards whose work respects and engages rivers will be accompanied by a series of gatherings to nurture our relationship to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers as well as reinforce communal relations and interdependence of human beings and nature. Make the River Present is organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis by Michelle Dezember, CAM’s Director of Learning & Engagement and Allena Brazier, independent curator. Exhibition design by Tiana Berry-Jones.
Make the River Present opens March 7 and continues until August 10, 2025. Use the link below for more information and updates.