Newport Historical Society

This exhibition, titled A Name. A Voice. A Life: The Black Newporters of the 17th - 19th Centuries, presents the life narratives of five individuals of African descent that resided in Newport from its founding in 1639 through the abolition of slavery in Rhode Island in 1842. The exhibition arose out of archival research conducted by the Newport Historical Society that produced the names and stories of 1700 enslaved individuals that lived in Newport.

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For this exhibition, H2 created an enveloping media projection, “name-walls” with the handwritten names of 1700 formerly enslaved individuals, a feedback station, an archivist researcher station, and other exhibit elements. H2 also integrated large-scale graphics, narration and sound design, graphic design, dramatic lighting of cases and objects, and incorporated original artwork created by local artists.