Connected like a puppet to objects that have informed the Black experience in America, multidisciplinary artist Edisa Weeks alternates between blackface, whiteface, storytelling, and visceral dance to dig into the pathologizing of African Americans and the foundations of Liberty in America.

3 RITES: Liberty begins with an installation of roots made out of paper and twine that hang from the ceiling to the floor. You are invited to move through the roots as if moving through the underbelly of history before eventually meeting the “Liberty” character played by Weeks. Her hair is braided to resemble the Statue of Liberty’s crown. Each spoke of the hair crown is connected via tie-lines and pulleys to specific objects — Bible, black dick, blonde wig, gun, lightbulb, sneakers, watermelon that represent the Black experience in America.