Descendants of slaves watch from Declaration House in new exhibit
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Artist Sonya Clark, right, has a new exhibit, "The Descendants of Monticello," at the Declaration House. Photos: Courtesy of Steve Weinik and Terrell Halsey/Monument Lab
Large eyes now fill the windows of the Declaration House — belonging to descendants of the enslaved people of Monticello.
Why it matters: It's part of a new art exhibit reframing the story of Thomas Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia by spotlighting his enslaved valet, Robert Hemmings, who watched him write the document about freedom.
State of play: Renowned artist Sonya Clark's installation, unveiled at the National Independence Historic Park on Monday, projects blinking images of the eyes of Hemmings' descendants and relatives of other slaves held in bondage at Monticello, Jefferson's sprawling plantation in Virginia.
- Those eyes peer down on people passing outside the three-story Declaration House.
What they're saying: "I think of the eyes as bearing witness to where we are in terms of liberation struggles," Clark tells Axios of her installation.
- She says the work calls out "the erasures and [fills] in those half-truths with more truths and more stories."
Context: Hemmings accompanied Jefferson to Philadelphia in 1776 as his valet, a position that afforded him privileges not granted to other slaves like the ability to learn how to read and write.
- Hemmings' enslaved sister, Sally, had several children with Jefferson.
- While in Philadelphia, Hemmings tended to Jefferson while he wrote the Declaration of Independence, including the famous line in the preamble that "all men are created equal."
- He was later one of several slaves freed by Jefferson.
The bottom line: Paul Farber, director of Monument Lab, which organized the project, hopes it will get people thinking about what the Declaration of Independence means today.
- "We went looking for Robert Hemmings and found America," he said in a statement.
If you go: There's a block party Monday from 5-8pm celebrating the opening of the exhibit, which will be on display through Sept. 8.