Responding to the unique history, archives and architecture of Morris-Jumel Mansion three artists (Patrick Perry, Sarah Rowe and Rachel Sydlowski) reinterpreted archival objects into a site-specific installation. Ceramic objects, jewelry and artists’ books presented a visual interpretation based on different areas of research by each artist. This shifting focus addressed how histories drift over time and how certain historical narratives become prominent while others recede into obscurity.  

A series of heavily etched wearable objects constructed of sterling silver created by Patrick Perry are a direct response to the handwritten letters between Eliza and her husband Stephen Jumel. The archival letters reveal an accretion of private exchanges, ranging from the quotidian to the intimate. Perry has chosen to pay homage to these intimate written exchanges by etching fragments of the letters directly onto silver. The material shift from pen and ink to metal raises questions about impermanence and indelibility and public and private lives.