Unpacked was a solo exhibition of site-specific installations in the period rooms of Morris-Jumel Mansion. It was on view from October 10, 2013 - February 9, 2014.

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest residence, has a complex history. British Colonel Roger Morris, a loyalist, built the Mansion in 1765 as a summer home. It sat on an estate that extended from present-day 135th Street to 181st Street, from the Hudson River to the Harlem River, on one of the highest natural plateaus in Manhattan. General George Washington used the house as his headquarters from September to October 1776, during the Battle of Harlem Heights. After the Revolutionary War, the Mansion continued to host America’s Founding Fathers, including: Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and George Washington, who all visited the estate in 1791. In 1833, the Mansion briefly became the home of infamous former Vice President, Aaron Burr, during his short, unhappy marriage to Eliza Jumel, a widow and one of the wealthiest women in Manhattan.

For this exhibition, I viewed the Mansion as an artifact, and a silent witness to the founding of the United States. Drawing on the history of the Mansion, the personal experiences of its inhabitants, American history, and current events, I created site-specific installations for the Mansion’s period rooms. These works utilize historical texts, maps, architecture, and found imagery, creating an experience that traces the histories of social phenomena and ideologies into the present.

Peter Hoffmeister

Peter Hoffmeister