2023 Wooden Boat Festival

Take Me to the Water: Histories of the Black Pacific reveals the deep and historic connection between people of African descent and the Pacific Ocean. Most accounts of the United States’ maritime enterprises are disproportionately populated by white seafarers. Yet, from the 16th to the 20th century, Black whalers, commercial mariners, fishers, explorers, soldiers, and sailors traveled along the Pacific Coast and traversed the high seas. The stories of these mariners, their impact in shaping the American Pacific, and their legacy in the context of development of society and identity, are all explored in Take Me to the Water: Histories of the Black Pacific. In this presentation, the project's curator and director, Dr. Caroline Collins describes the inspiration for this developing project as well as the opportunities and challenges in planning its three formats which include a gallery & traveling exhibit, a small vessel build, and a short documentary film.