Jessica Valoris’s: ‘Black Fugitive Folklore’ community activation project

I am an interdisciplinary artist and community facilitator in Washington DC. My creative practice weaves together mixed-media installation, ritual performance, and sound collage. My art centers research and community gatherings. I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and was deeply involved in social justice organizing, working with City at Peace DC. As an adult, I have worked extensively with community-based organizations and schools, supporting young people though art and activism. I’d like to use the Tour De Force grant to support a two-part community activation of a project called Black Fugitive Folklore. This project amplifies local histories of Black resistance to enslavement as a way to inform current movements for liberation, justice, and repair. Montgomery County has a rich history of Black resistance, care and sovereignty; that I intend to honor through an exhibition of Black Fugitive Folklore in Rockville, MD. I will be hosting an intergenerational story/study circle at VisArts on October 11 followed by a filmed community ritual at the Blue Mash Nature Trail in mid-November. Blue Mash was historically where Black people escaped into the marshland as maroons, and speaks to a larger network of escape, Underground Railroad organizing, and extensive knowledge of Maryland’s waterways. The community ritual will be edited into a short film that will be displayed at VisArts in January 2023. This grant will help cover the costs of filming, refreshments , materials, and participant stipends. I hope to engage 10-15 Black artists, educators, organizers, and youth in honoring and amplifying these important and often under-recognized histories.