Going to Ground is an upcoming site-specific project on the Rose Kennedy Greenway by artist LaRissa Rogers that responds to and invites viewers to engage with the history of Zipporah Potter Atkins. In 1670, Potter Atkins became the first Black woman to own a home in Boston, which she kept for almost thirty years until selling it in 1799. Potter Atkins’ home rested on land now cared for by The Greenway at Cross and Hanover Streets in the North End. This history was brought to light in 2010 by Dr. Vivian Johnson, Professor Emerita of Boston University, after 6 years of archival research.
For Part 1 of this project, Rogers is hosting an Open Call for Soil – an open invitation to Boston’s communities to gather and contribute soil from spaces meaningful to them. The artist will then use the collected soil to build Part 2 of this project, a sculpture honoring Zipporah Potter Atkins.
The final sculptural artwork – Part 2 of this project– will open on The Greenway in August 2024 via a performance and community picnic. Throughout the project’s lifetime, collaborating artists Jackie Amézquita and Zalika Azim will activate the sculpture with performances and interventions.
For details on how to contribute soil, visit https://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/larissarogers
