Hancock-Brainerd and Noon researched Rhode Islanders’ relationship with the ocean in preparation for a 100-person Sea Pageant performed on August 21, 2017 on First Beach in Newport during a solar eclipse. They found materials related to the ocean and epic poetry; recreation; performance; transportation; the slave trade; sailing races; shipping; immigration; indigenous, Colonial, and Victorian traditions; ecological changes; and hopes for the future. They will use their findings to create an epic choral piece with a group of generative artists, that includes dancers, poets, musicians, and visual artists that they then teach to a chorus of 100 performers. Join us as they will share some of what they learned and some of what they are creating.

Funded by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Open Sesame Project brings together six artists/scholars working in different genres to research into the Athenæum’s extensive collections.