“Rich Soil,” a 29-piece exhibit of life-sized human figures that celebrates the lives of enslaved people, has been chosen at the first fine art collection installed in the Jay Estate Gardens.
The exhibit, which runs through Nov. 15, is the work of San Francisco-based artist Kristine Mays. The collection has been touring the country for more than four years, usually shown in outdoor settings like the Jay Estate Gardens.
Mays said putting the wire sculptures in a natural setting is an essential part of the work, which is intended as “a celebration of all of the enslaved people … and this idea of them coming back.”
“My hope is that the figures will spring forth like spirits rising from the soil, to be recognized, revered and embraced,” she said. “This seemed like a beautiful idea to explore within the grounds of a garden.”
The figures are made from looped and hooked wire and are set in poses inspired by the dancing of Alvin Ailey, Mays said.

“I transform hard rigid wire into soft flowing movement,” she said. “I create the outer shell, the exterior of a human being, but provoke you to see what’s within.”
Among the works on display is “Ancestral Spin,” a group of male and female torsos with their arms outstretched. In “All Night Worship,” a group rises out of a reflecting pool, embodying, she said, “the deepest grief and the holiest joy.”
Another solitary figure is tucked into a broken stone wall. Woven into the form’s dress is a quote from Zora Neale Hurston: “There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you.”
The Jay Heritage Center has worked with New York State Parks and Westchester partners like the American Women of African Heritage and Friends of the African American Cemetery in the past. Those efforts have produced center programs about the women and men enslaved and freed by the Jay family and featured exhibits about the founders of Westchester’s earliest Black churches and businesses.
JHC President Suzanne Clary said, “as a member site of New York State’s Path Through History for Civil Rights, the Jay Estate is a perfect venue for viewing these ethereal silhouettes.”
The sculptures are available for purchase with a percentage of the proceeds to benefit programs at JHC.
The exhibit is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 15. Additional public hours and programs will be announced at www.jayheritagecenter.org.
