OCTOBER 15, 2021 | 7:30 AM–8:15 AM
Almost every American schoolchild is taught the origins of the nation’s ideals through a prescribed set of Revolutionary-era folktales. These cornerstone dramas include the Boston Tea Party (whose insurrectionists adopted brownface to appear as “Indians” to distance themselves from their British sovereigns); the battles at Lexington and Concord; and Paul Revere’s midnight ride, when, the story maintains, he alerted sleeping colonists to the imminent arrival of their British enemy with the now indelible portentous cry “The British are coming!” In the 21st century, it is increasingly apparent that these dominant narratives obscure many voices. Revisiting America’s origin fables invites a question: What was the sound of liberation for those at the margins, those who were not recognized or protected by law at the moments when the ideals of American liberty were forged?
Abigail DeVille’s new performance, WAKE UP: Liberation Call at Dawn, calls citizens to attention on the National Mall at sunrise on October 15, 2021. Through a procession rooted in drumming, the artist references various cries of protest and action throughout American history, a narrative that includes both lesser-known events such as the Stono Slave Rebellion of 1739 and well-known ones such as the events of January 6, 2021, at the nearby National Capitol Building.
As a counter to the calls for insurrection that occurred at the Capitol on January 6, join DeVille as she gathers with other artists to sound a collective call for freedom, to insist upon the rejection of lies propagated as truth, and to embrace new and vital tellings of the American story.
WAKE UP: Liberation Call at Dawn is a performance presented as the opening celebration of Abigail DeVille’s Light of Freedom (2020), a sculpture which will be displayed in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden from October 15, 2021 to April 17, 2022. The performance will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, October 15, and last approximately 45 minutes.
Abigail DeVille: Light of Freedom was commissioned by Madison Square Park Conservancy, New York, and was first exhibited in Madison Square Park. Its exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is made possible through support from the Hirshhorn International Council and the Hirshhorn Collectors’ Council. This performance WAKE UP: Liberation Call at Dawn is generously supported by Kera and Bennie F. Johnson.
SCHEDULE
7 am EST | Sculpture Garden opens
7:30 am EST | WAKE UP: Liberation Call at Dawn
A recording of this performance will be available on the Hirshhorn YouTube channel.
Image: Abigail DeVille with her Light of Freedom, 2020. Welded Steel, cabling, rusted metal ball, painted mannequin arms, painted metal scaffolding, wood. 156 x 96 x 96 inches. Collection the artist, courtesy the artist. ©2020 Abigail Deville. The exhibition was organized by Madison Park Conservancy, New York, and was on view from October 27, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Photograph by Tonje Thilesen.
DETAILS
Date:October 15, 2021Time:7:30 am–8:15 amEvent Category:Performances
VENUE
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum, Independence Ave SW & 7th St SW
Washington, DC 20560 United States
Phone:202-633-1000Website:https://hirshhorn.si.edu
ORGANIZER
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Phone:202-633-1000Email:HirshhornExperience@si.eduWebsite:hirshhorn.si.edu