Hard To Get and Dear Paid For, ongoing

Artist

Hard to Get and Dear Paid For is a multi media project in process. The project explores the life and legacy of Enoch George Howard, who was born enslaved in 1814 near Unity, Maryland. In his lifetime, Howard came to own the land where he and his family were held captive, including a parcel called Hard to Get and Dear Paid For. 

At death, Howard left his estate to his children. His daughter Martha sold her portion of the land to her brother, and used the proceeds to invest in her husband’s business: the Afro American Newspaper. Today, the Afro is one of the country’s most prominent Black newspapers. It is still owned and operated by Enoch George’s descendants.

For the 2020 exhibition Close Read, I created a short experimental video that begins to explore the concepts in this project. You can view Hard to Get and Dear Paid For (projection cut), 2020 below.