Gideon Allen House
23 South Sixth Street, New Bedford, MA
In The Life of John Thompson: A Fugitive Slave, Thompson names whaling agent and investor Gideon Allen as the agent who hires him for a whaling voyage. Allen owned shares in numerous whaling voyages and, according to one study, the firms that he established—active from 1830 to 1887—were together the most profitable in the city. Gideon and his brother William were related by marriage to the two branches of the Howland family in this district, making them an integral part of the web of kinship connecting this neighborhood.
Local history and self-guided tours are presented in collaboration with the New Bedford Historical Society and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Visitors can also access interactive digital components, VR tours, and videos originally created for the New Bedford Historical Society and UMass Dartmouth’s exhibition, Black Spaces Matter: Celebrating New Bedford’s Abolition Row.
This exhibition will be shown free and open to the public in downtown New Bedford outdoors at the YMCA green space on Union Street, between N. 2nd Street and N. Water Street from June 16 to September 12.
CREDITS
The Black Spaces Matter project is collaboration between UMass Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts students and faculty, local New Bedford experts, and the New Bedford Historical Society.
Black Spaces Matter was exhibited from November 19, 2017 — January 29, 2018 at the Boston Architectural College’s McCormack Gallery, 320 Newbury St. Boston, MA, and from November 8, 2018 — January 30, 2019 at UMass Dartmouth’s University Gallery, 715 Purchase St. New Bedford, MA 02740.
SUPPORT
Black Spaces Matter is supported by New Bedford Historical Society, Creative Economy Fund from the Office of the UMass President, UMass Dartmouth Provost Office, Perkins + Will Associates, Rotch–Jones–Duff House and Garden Museum, Spinner Publications, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.
PARTICIPANTS
Consultant: Lee Blake | Lead curator: Pamela Karimi | Architectural renderings, model production, and maps: Pedram Karimi and students in Architecture and Sustainability class | Film, animation, and digital curation: Don Burton | Artistic representations: Michael Swartz | Consultants for the Documentaries: Janine da Silva, Ann Marie Lopes | Advertisement and graphic design: Ziddi Msangi, Racsa Soun, Vasco Pedro and students in Community Engagement Design studio | Digital stations: Michael Swartz, Don Burton, Ben Guan-Kennedy, and Merri Cyr | Production Manager: Jennifer McGrory | Curatorial assistance: CVPA students, Cynthia Raposa, Mark Walker, and gallery director, Viera Levitt.
Events
Artist Talk: Liz Collins
Join DATMA & UMass Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts for an Artist Talk with Liz Collins on Tuesday, October 29th. Liz Collins (Brooklyn, NY) is a multimedia artist known for her innovative textile work, merging art and design to explore queerness, feminism, energy, and abstraction. Her vibrant installations push fabric and materials to