Sail Through This to That
Event Details
Creativity is a thread that runs through history, connecting people across the centuries. This project from indira allegra makes explicit that link between Ona Judge, a seamstress and enslaved woman who styled Martha Washington before making a daring escape to freedom, and Rem'mie Fells, a trans fashion designer whose life and career were tragically curtailed. This work intertwines the lives and art of these two remarkable women.
Procession: Honor their stories at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, as artists, musicians and attendees walk from Independence Mall (the President's House) to Spruce Street Harbor park. The procession, which will follow the route Judge took on her way to freedom, will be launched by an opening incantation and poem from Evangeline Getty Brooks, and a piece from Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, and music by the Karen Smith ensemble. The half-mile journey will pause at sites along the route where sacred songs will be performed. Upon arriving at the Delaware River, attendees will witness a triptych of sails — inspired by Fells' designs — rising on the North Wind schooner. Participants are encouraged to WEAR WHITE.
This event is FREE but RSVP is encouraged.
There will be programming connected to this project throughout the festival at Spruce Street Harbor Park. You can also experience the sails simply by taking a stroll along the Delaware River. See below and check back for details.
Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia: 7 p.m. Saturday, June 6
Join us for a nighttime summer choral performance unlike any other. The Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia is the city's first trans and gender-non-conforming (GNC) choir.
Poetry Sail: 7:30-9 p.m. Friday, June 12
Step aboard the North Wind Schooner for an intimate evening of golden-hour poetry from Evangeline Getty Brooks, Michael J. Ivory, Jr. and Raina J. León. Participants will board and exit the boat at Spruce Street Harbor Park.
Rest on the River: 8-9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18
Join artist indira allegra for a rest retreat on the Delaware River inspired by the work of Tricia Hersey’s Nap Ministry. Accompanied by vibrophonist Hudson River, participants will be guided through meditation and dream journaling exercises aboard the North Wind Schooner as it sails into the setting sun.
Project Description
Sail Through This to That is indira allegra’s newest commission exploring the lives of Ona Judge, the seamstress and bondswoman who styled Martha Washington and escaped to freedom in 1796, and the aspiring fashion designer and trans woman Rem'mie Fells who was tragically killed in 2020. In partnership with Philadelphia’s Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, William Way LGBT Community Center, and The Fabric Workshop and Museum, allegra will use 18th century techniques and fabrics reflecting Fells’s vibrant aesthetic to create three schooner sails. Sail Through This to That will culminate in a community-led procession that follows Judge’s escape to the Delaware River. The sails will be exhibited on a schooner that will also host the project’s public programming at the Spruce Street Harbor on the Delaware River.
Photograph by Brandon C. Ballard.
