Chesterwood

Heard is a collective of musicians that bring their skills and passion for world music, jazz and improvising together to create irresistible grooves set in a unique sonic tapestry. Together for 15 years, their vibrant sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond. Their debut CD Karibu reached #15 on the World Jazz charts and 2018's daring Flyway is similarly garnering much critical acclaim.

Award-winning African artist Georges Adéagbo (born in 1942 in Cotonou, Benin) known world-wide for his found-object installations will speak about his site-specific installation at Chesterwood. "Create to Free Yourselves: Abraham Lincoln and the History of Freeing the Slaves in America" was originally developed for President Lincoln's Cottage, the home where the president lived and developed the Emancipation Proclamation in Washington D.C. This exhibition, which explores themes of freedom and bondage, developed out of a residency with the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art.

Adéagbo, who has long been personally interested in Lincoln as an icon of emancipation, was invited to Chesterwood to view the 6' model of the seated Abraham Lincoln and the many Lincoln related objects that Daniel Chester French owned such as Lincoln's life-mask and hand casts. Back in Benin, Adéagbo worked with local artists to create new items for the exhibition based on his visit and photos from Chesterwood's archives.