RASHAUN RUCKER + MARIO MOORE

Big Ma’s Porch (A Black Sanctuary), 2020-21
Installation

In Warrenton, North Carolina on the Baltimore Road stood my great-grandparents’ house. A simple white wooden home with groomed hedges across the front with a small concrete walk jutting from the middle of the hedges that led to the porch. A holy place. A space that felt safer than any other place I could remember. It was a place where folks could be themselves and blackness was found in abundance. Prayers and tall tales were spoke from those seated in the metal green chairs with a glass of ice water or sweet tea. It was where I snapped peas with Big Ma and learned my family’s history through spoken word. I watched folks grieve and express joy there but it was never devoid of love. It was my sanctuary but also others before me.