Thank you to NY Social Diary for this wonderful post!
Photos by Kim Crichlow
And looking back on September 9th, the Jay Heritage Center (JHC) in Rye, New York held an opening reception for its first fine art exhibit, Rich Soil, created by American artist Kristine Mays. More than 125 people gathered in the Jay Estate Gardens to see 29 life-sized sculptures with titles like Ancestral Spin and Celestial Prayer Meeting. Made from thousands of pieces of wire looped together, each of Mays’ garments embodies a fleeting gesture that delivers a message of resilience.
This is the New York debut for Rich Soil. It opened at Filoli Historic House and Gardens, then travelled to Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Longue Vue House and Gardens.
Speaking to the New York Times in 2021, Mays said her work was “a celebration of all of the enslaved people… and this idea of them coming back, like their spirits rising up from the soil and rejoicing now that they’re free.” JHC President Suzanne Clary said, “The Jay Estate Gardens were reimagined by Thomas Woltz as a public green space to host meaningful dialogues. As a member site of New York State’s Path Through History for Civil Rights, the Jay Estate is a perfect venue for viewing these ethereal silhouettes.”
Mays’ work was featured in “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary World Concert Tour” and has been collected by institutions like the Crocker Art Museum and private collectors including George Lucas, Mellody Hobson and Reggie Browne. The sculptures are available for purchase with a percentage of proceeds to benefit programs at JHC. The exhibit is open Thursdays from 10am – 2pm and Sundays from 10am to 5pm now through November with more public hours and programs to be announced at www.jayheritagecenter.org.
The exhibit is cosponsored by the American Women of African Heritage (AWAH) and the Friends of the African American Cemetery (FOAAC). Learn more about Kristine Mays here.
