Going to Ground, 2024
“Dear community, can we go to ground together?”
Going to Ground is an upcoming site-specific project by artist LaRissa Rogers that responds to and invites viewers to engage with the history of Zipporah Potter Atkins. In 1670, Potter Atkins became the first Black woman to own a home in Boston, which she kept for almost thirty years until selling it in 1799. Potter Atkins’ home rested on land now cared for by The Greenway at Cross and Hanover Streets in the North End. This history was brought to light in 2010 by Dr. Vivian Johnson, Professor Emerita of Boston University, after 6 years of archival research.
For Part 1 of this project, Rogers is hosting an Open Call for Soil – an open invitation to Boston’s communities to gather and contribute soil from spaces meaningful to them. The artist will then use the collected soil to build Part 2 of this project, a sculpture honoring Zipporah Potter Atkins, as seen in the rendering above.
The final sculptural artwork – Part 2 of this project– will open on The Greenway in August 2024 via a performance and community picnic. Throughout the project’s lifetime, collaborating artists Jackie Amézquita and Zalika Azim will activate the sculpture with performances and interventions.
Photo Credit: Osemwenkhae Studios
Graphic Design: Chen Luo
How to Participate
There are two ways to submit soil for this project, detailed below.
How to Participate via Mail
- Fill out the form at this link to receive a project packet via snail mail.
- The Greenway will send you a project packet containing a free, prepaid return envelope for your soil submission, along with Going to Ground stickers, posters, and postcards.
- Collect your soil and put it inside a container. Don’t forget to include a note sharing any details you would like to share about your soil!
- Place your soil sample in the pre-addressed, prepaid return envelope, and drop it into the nearest mail receptacle or bring it to your local post office.
How to Participate In-Person
- Read the artist’s full Open Call for Soil Invitation.
- Collect your soil and put it inside a container. Don’t forget to include a note sharing any details you would like to share about your soil!
- Starting Tuesday, May 14, 2024, you can drop off your soil container in the soil mailboxes located in front of The Greenway’s offices at 185 Kneeland Street, Boston, MA 02111 or at City Hall Plaza.