“Sometimes the ancestors push forward stories that need to be examined in a new context.” - Phyllis May-Machunda

From the moment we began working on this film, we tried to find any photograph or illustration of the church or cemetery on Cherry Lane. Despite our best efforts, we came up empty-handed, until we realized there was a new way to think about this film.

That’s when we turned to art to help tell Cherry Lane’s story.

Thanks to curator Lazarus Nazario, a painter from Staten Island, we’re working with these multidisciplinary artists now creating their interpretation of Cherry Lane Cemetery.

We filmed them meeting descendants from Cherry Lane and the historic Sandy Ground community; visiting the site as it is today; and at work in their studios. We will film the exhibition debuting September, 2026 by the Staten Island Ferry.