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Finding Cato Vernon in Photography Artist Talk with Dominique Sindayiganza

Finding Cato Vernon in Photography Artist Talk with Dominique Sindayiganza

by | Sep 20, 2026

While creating the Cato Vernon Freedom Library, Lead Artist and Photographer Dominique Sindayiganza visited sites in Rhode Island where Cato Vernon may have been. As he photographed these places which are now often manicured, leisurely, and serene, he wondered what Cato’s view would have been — did this tree see Cato when it was an acorn? Does the mitochondria still hold his memory? Is his presence in this view, even with jet skis, tennis courts, and high schools here now? Despite the peace of these places today, Dominique imagined the battlefields, enslavement, imprisonment, and war that Cato would have seen. The more images he took, the more he felt Cato Vernon.

This talk between Dominique and lead artist Rebecca Noon will illuminate the ways photography, memory and place influenced how we created the Cato Vernon Freedom Library.

Free for all.

About Dominique Sindayiganza:

Dominique Sindayiganza is a photographer who uses his camera to create and celebrate community. In his long-term personal photo series, entitled “HOMECOMING”, he focuses on photographing strangers at home.

He lives in Providence, RI with his wife and 3 daughters.

Dominique was also the Production Photographer on Center Aquidneck’s Life After Life.

Strangers in a Strange Land: a Talk on the Free African Union movement by Keith Stokes

Strangers in a Strange Land: a Talk on the Free African Union movement by Keith Stokes

by | Sep 20, 2026

Held on the anniversary of its founding, this talk will interpret the evolution of the Free African Union movement during the American Revolution era, showcasing the profound influence of the African Diaspora on the advancement of Black identity in early America.

Free for all.

About Keith Stokes:

Griot, Historian, Intellectual, Convener, Public Policy Wonk, Father, Husband, and son of Rhode Island

Throughout his four decades of public service in Rhode Island, Keith W. Stokes has remained dedicated to building a community that welcomes everyone who calls the Ocean State home. Currently the Historian Laureate for the State of Rhode Island, he has served in various roles, including as an elected official in his cherished Newport hometown and a gubernatorial appointee focused on economic development. Additionally, he has contributed to the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island, leading business development efforts.  Stokes has consistently aimed to intertwine public funding with private development to nurture a strong and beloved community.

Keith earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and completed his graduate studies in public policy at the University of Chicago. His education is enriched by the stories of his ancestors, who have shared long-held narratives from a time before the American Revolution, providing him with a unique perspective on the present.

Keith is presently Director of the State of Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. He has also been an Advisor for Rhode Island with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served on numerous local, regional, and national business and public boards, including Preservation Society for Newport County, Touro Synagogue Foundation, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission Historical Review Board, Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Quonset Development Corporation, Rhode Island Foundation, and the American Antiquarian Society.

His current passion is borne of a heritage that extends before the republic and grounds his roots in the land of Rhode Island.  From his father, the cerebral and equally physical baseball, and from his mother, a grounding in history and a curiosity to learn more about his African, Jewish, and Caribbean family roots.

He frequently appears on national historical programs, including C-SPAN, Fox News Legends & Lies, and Ted Talk.  Recently, he was the lead researcher and author of “A Matter of Truth” publication for the examination and documentation of the role of the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island in supporting a “Separate and Unequal” existence for African heritage, Indigenous, and People of Color.

He is a 9th-generation Rhode Islander who calls Newport home with his beloved wife Theresa. He is the father of four children and an extended clan of Pit Bull dogs that he rescues and nurtures.

Community Reading of Mo Holmes’ play WINGS// WATERMELON

Community Reading of Mo Holmes’ play WINGS// WATERMELON

by | Sep 20, 2026

Cato Vernon’s struggle for freedom reverberates throughout history. At this community reading, you and your neighbors will pick up a script and join the 1500, a group of sharecroppers and tenant farmers from the bootheel of Missouri, as they camp out on the highway to protest the failings of the president’s New Deal. Based on historical and familiar events from peoples who take to the road. Discussion to follow.

Featuring readers Peter Coriander, Dillon Medina, Trevor Neal, Kelly Robertson, Quinn Saunders, Indigo Sindayiganza, and Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie

Ages 5+ and up. Free for all.

About Mo Holmes:

Mo Holmes is a playwright, librettist and dramaturg, born in San Antonio and raised on the long stretch of road from Texas to Alabama. She is a winner of the Yale Drama Prize, Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize and Next Wave Initiative Lorraine Hansberry Award. Her work has been developed and/or presented by The Bushwick Starr, The Fire This Time Festival, the Sam French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival and Good Apples Collective in New York; and the Playwrights’ Center, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, DePaul University’s Climate Action New Play Collective, and elsewhere nationally. As a dramaturg and teaching artist, she has supported new play development at the Playwrights’ Center, Guthrie Theater, Horizon Theatre Company, Good Apples Collective and Columbia University, among others. MFA: Columbia.

From Revolution to Reclamation, Indigenous Perspectives of Sovereignty, Independence, and the American Revolution, a Talk with Chrystal Mars Baker of the Tomaquag Museum

From Revolution to Reclamation, Indigenous Perspectives of Sovereignty, Independence, and the American Revolution, a Talk with Chrystal Mars Baker of the Tomaquag Museum

by | Sep 20, 2026

Though many people know that African heritage people served in the American Revolutionary War, we sometimes overlook the Narragansett and Wampanoag people who fought. In this presentation from Chrystal Mars Baker of the Tomaquag Museum we’ll learn more about their crucial contributions and the long history of Indigenous service.

Free for all.

About Chrystal Mars Baker:

Chrystal Mars Baker is a Narragansett Tribal citizen, educator, and advocate whose work centers on uplifting Native voices and creating inclusive, truthful educational spaces. She is the Education Manager at the Tomaquag Museum and serves on the boards of the Rhode Island Humanities and the Jonnycake Center for Hope. Grounded in the legacy of her ancestors and inspired by her family, Chrystal envisions an educational future where all cultures are represented through their own histories, fostering mutual respect and healing across communities.

Welcome Home: Exhibition and Artist Talk with Eric E. Sung

Welcome Home: Exhibition and Artist Talk with Eric E. Sung

by | Sep 20, 2026

The selected photographs present artifacts recovered from Rhode Island’s first state prison, established in Providence in 1838 which photographic medium is uniquely situated to explore. These objects, preserved and cataloged by the Public Archaeology Laboratory, offer a rare and tangible connection to the early history of incarceration. Created as part of a larger body of work titled Welcome Home, this series contributes to an ongoing exploration of the carceral experience in the United States. The broader project includes contemporary portraits and personal narratives of individuals impacted by incarceration today, situating these historical artifacts within a continuum of justice system experiences across time, which will be introduced at the artist talk.

Any age, but ideal for ages 16 + up. Free for all.

About Eric E. Sung:

Eric Sung is a lens-based artist, scholar, and cultural worker whose interdisciplinary practice bridges art, scholarship, and community engagement. His work has been presented internationally in distinguished peer-reviewed and juried venues, including the Society for Photographic Education, International Visual Literacy Association, IARSLCE, and Imagining America.

His artistic and community-based projects have received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Mellon Foundation, Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Providence Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism, and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. His work has been exhibited in internationally recognized galleries, cultural institutions, and public spaces.

Sung is Full Professor of Art at Providence College and Lab Faculty at College Unbound. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Photographic Education, is a member of the WARP Collective Artists Group, and currently serves as a Commissioner for Arts and City Life for the City of Providence.