If we do not speak for ourselves,
their stories will be the only ones carried
forward, and they will call it everything
but genocide.
COLUMBUS THROUGH
NATIVE EYES
“Columbus through Native Eyes” as a multimedia exhibit reads the diary against the grain, refusing the familiar narrative of salvation and civilizing mission. Instead, it places Columbus’s own words—his visions of conquest, servitude, and limitless extraction—into generational view, carrying them forward through time into the tourism industry, the climate crisis, and the sargassum now massing along our coasts. History is not static. How we read it has consequences for the living.
My work hopes to join that of Indigenous scholars like Jack D. Forbes (Powhatan-Renapé and Lenape author of Columbus and other cannibals), whose scholarship is a powerful remedy to the soul sickness of colonialism.
COMING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY
(OCTOBER 12, 2026)
This multimedia experience includes the following components. You can see sneak peeks of the exhibit below.
A NATIVE BESTIARY
Illustrations of the animals mentioned in the Diario de a bordo, whose lives are under constant threat by colonial expansion.
PASSAGES
Columbus in his own words: selected passages from the diary.
SNEAK PEEK:
They Lied Then,
They Lie Now
Read the first of my Columbus essays, published on the Folger Shakespeare Library's blog The Collation during my 2024-2025 longterm Artistic fellowship.
It was the most read blog post of 2025.
I DID NOT GET HERE ALONE
gratitudes
My ancestors, for the immense privilege of belonging to the land of Ayiti and for guiding me back to Her when being in the world made me physically and spiritually ill.
The land of Ayiti, and all the animal and plant kin I share it with—it is an honor to carry our stories. I pray to always do them justice.
The Folger Shakespeare Library and Folger Shakespeare Institute, whose support gave me the courage to believe my work held value beyond my local community.
Genelin, Fula, Brayan, and the other fishermen, lancheros, divers, and friends of Las Galeras whose knowledge of marine ecologies and species was invaluable and greatly appreciated. I love learning from you.
My Shut Up and Write! community, for the warm encouragement of my little doodles and for the space and time to dedicate to my craft.
Vikki, for your support on this debut art project—you helped me get beyond my technical limitations and encouraged me when I did not feel like a "real artist".
Hahom.
I publish essays and notes on my Substack about the process behind this project—its materials, sources, and the work of being a knowledge and story keeper. If you’d like to follow along, you can read more there.