The African Ancestors Memorial Garden in Charleston, South Carolina, honors the labor and legacy of enslaved people.
The ecology of both the South Carolina low country and the African diaspora feature in the African Ancestors Memorial Garden at the International African American Museum in Charleston. The garden covers two and a half acres at Gadsden?s Wharf, the port of arrival for nearly half the enslaved men and women brought to North America. The design honors the artistry, craftsmanship, and labor of enslaved people. Hood Design Studio won a 2024 ASLA Professional Honor Award in the General Design category for their work.
Courtesy Sahar Coston-Hardy, Affiliate ASLA/Esto.
A field of sweetgrass references the art of basket weaving that enslaved Africans introduced, while a curved wall mimics brick structures they built at both the University of Virginia and Middleton Place, a Charleston plantation. Silver date palms, native to West Africa, are featured alongside native flowers and shrubs. A path across the Tide Tribute fountain, where relief figures represent those shackled in slave ships, reflects the Middle Passage, the Atlantic Ocean route through which millions of enslaved people were brought to the Americas. Water flows in and out of the fountain, alternately hiding and revealing etched human figures. The design was developed in collaboration with local historians, artists, and political leaders. Courtesy Fernando Guerra.
Courtesy Sahar Coston-Hardy, Affiliate ASLA/E...