Finding Metacom

In 2015, Duane Slick and Martin Smick began a creative partnership through a project at the Fruitlands Museum in Massachusetts, which had invited Slick to respond to its collection of Indigenous artifacts with an exhibition. Slick proposed a joint project. Together they began to familiarize themselves with Fruitlands history and collections, eventually centering their project on one of the museum’s prized object: King Philip’s War Club and through their investigation developed a show entitled Finding Metacom.

The exhibition explored the life and legacy of Metacom (King Philip), son of Massasoit Oussamequin, Sachem of the Wampanoag, whose alliance with the Pilgrims shaped the Thanksgiving origin myth. Our collaborative artworks consisted of multiple points of entry into the story of Metacom, a series of text-paintings, a book of photographs taken from historical sites, videos and installation, all intended to confront the sanitized version of that history and instead honor Metacom’s resistance. These projects aim to retell suppressed histories and amplify Indigenous voices through meaningful, ongoing artistic dialogue.