Mohawk Artist Alan Michelson's Oyster Shell Installation at Governor's Island

Hrag Vartanian, who co-founded Hyperallergic and serves as its editor-at-large, takes a look at Alan Michelson's striking installation on Governor's Island. This piece features about one million oyster shells that were gathered from Manhattan's restaurants. It prompts viewers to think about Native American history and shared memories, as Vartanian traces the oyster’s path from Lenape shell middens to today's menus in New York City, underscoring the ecological consequences of their disappearance. He notes that in Michelson's work, the shells act as symbols of resistance, challenging the notion that nothing existed before resource extraction. The article also points out that Pearl Street in Chinatown originates from a Lenape shell midden and references Mark Kurlansky's book, 'The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell' (2006). It mentions a 2,300-year-old fragment of Homer's Odyssey at The Met and highlights the upcoming 7th LGBTQ+ Art Material Culture & History auction at Swann Auction Galleries.