Augmenting Manissean Public Memory, Sense of Place, and Belonging on Block Island

FAIN: MD-290223-23

University of Rhode Island (Kingston, RI 02881-1967)
Amelia Moore (Project Director: June 2022 to present)

Development of an AR walking tour and on-line map exploring the African American and Indigenous history of Block Island.

This project requests Discovery funds to support the testing of augmented reality (AR) content and technologies to enhance the public understanding and experience of African American and Indigenous life and history on Block Island, Rhode Island, also known as the island of Manisses to the region''s Indigenous peoples. This marginalized history has been almost totally erased from the island, and the small population of African American and Indigenous people that retains ties to the island is almost totally unknown. This project will build creative AR stories that re-narrate Manissean history around the island and online through a series of community co-creation workshops with Manissean family members, regional Indigenous cultural representatives, digital and visual media experts, and regional and local historians and social scientists.