Hyperallergic
“The installation, titled Sail Through This to That, is timed to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, a national celebration marking a tense moment for arts institutions grappling with presidential mandates to portray history favorably.”
- Isa Farfan
Social practice | Sculpture | Performance
Sail Through This to That explores the lives of Ona Judge, the bondswoman who styled Martha Washington and escaped to freedom from Philadelphia in 1796, and the Philadelphia trans woman and aspiring fashion designer Dominique Rem'mie Fells who was killed in 2020. At the heart of the project are vibrant sails created using 18th century sailmaking techniques and fabrics reflecting Fells’s vibrant aesthetic. The work will culminate in a community-led procession that follows Judge’s escape from the site of George Washington’s historic Philadelphia home to the Delaware River where the North Wind Schooner will raise the sails for an inspiring public display through the summer of 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of Declaration of Independence. Throughout the month of June the following programs will be offered to the public of all ages for free:
Sail Through This To That - Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia on the Delaware River | June 6th, 2026
Sail Through This To That - Poetry Sail | June 12th, 2026
Sail Through This To That - Rest on the River | June 18th, 2026
Sail Through This to That takes its name from the poet Lucille Clifton’s work “blessing the boats (at St. Mary’s)” for its promise of transformation when one move beyond the fear in one’s circumstance. Both Judge and Fell’s lives are interwoven here as examples of freedom practices throughout American history—as demonstrations of how the pursuit of emancipation once unfolded and continues to do so today. Rather than keeping each story firmly rooted in the respective circumstances of its historical moment, allegra positions them within a continuum of history, allowing the full impact of their lives to be felt now and well into the future. The work was originally co-commissioned by ArtPhilly as part of the What Now: 2026 festival and the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and involved partnerships with the Fabric Workshop Museum in Philadelphia, PA and Traditional Rigging in Appleton, Maine. Major support for Sail Through This to That has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.
Sail Through This To That
The colorful sail design features the forms of ginkgo—an ancient plant that symbolizes resilience and memory which was first brought to North America in the late 1700s in Philadelphia's Bartram’s Garden—and of mugwort, a plant known for rest and healing significance. A sewing needle - the tool both women wielded in their craft - pierces all three sails with the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers as the threads that bind them.
Hyperallergic
“allegra and Philadelphia poet Evangeline Getty Brooks led a procession following the route Ona Judge would have taken toward her freedom. Participants in the public ritual, including members of Rem’mie’s family, met on the lawn outside the first President’s House to scrawl their dreams for the future on fabric strips attached to metal frames in the shape of gingko leaves. ”
- Greta Rainbow
Like the movement of water, the procession flowed through Old City in Philadelphia guided by artist indira allegra and the Karen Smith Ensemble. Philadelphia poet, Evangeline Getty Brooks shared incantations, poems and prayers weaving together the stories of Judge and Fells, encouraging participants to reflect on what Trans and Womanist Divinity can teach the world at large about wayfinding and liberation. At various sites along the route, sacred songs were performed by choral, string and wind ensembles as arranged by musical director, V. Shayne Frederick. Upon arriving at the Delaware River, participants witnessed the stationing of the gingko leaves bearing processioners’ prayers for liberation and the raising of the project’s sails - a celebration of Judge and Fell's contributions to American history - on the North Wind Schooner .
Musical Selections and Musicians:
Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia - “Breaths”
String quartet – “Steal away”
Opus Four String Trio – “Dona nobis pacem”
Flute + Bass duet – “Shall we gather by the river”
Harpist – “Deep River”
Voices of Philadelphia Choir – “I’ve been buked”
Ajibola Rivers, Akili Farrow, Alberta Douglas, Elizabeth Steiner, Evangeline Getty Brooks, Karen Smith & ensemble, Kyran Littlejohn, Libby Rosa, Nicolo Gentile, Opus Four, Ramona Douglas, Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, V. Shayne Frederick, Voices of Philadelphia Choir
Philadelphia Inquirer
“Along the [procession] journey, I couldn’t stop thinking, for both Judge and Fells, how scared she must have felt, how scared she must have felt.
When we arrived at the waterfront, I reflected on what thoughts Judge may have had when she saw the river, what rapturous joy she must have felt as she pursued real, tangible freedom. For Fells, I like to think she felt similar happiness wearing her designs in local fashion shows, like the William Way LGBT Community Center’s “Rock the Runway — A Trans Empowerment Fashion Show.””
- Rosa Cartagena
Sail Through This To That - Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia on the Delaware River
June 6th, 2026
A Summer choral performance unlike any other, by the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia - Philly's first Trans & GNC choir directed by Maya Kociba. This rare experience summoned the spirit of the Delaware River as it ebbed and flowed through the voices of choral singers. Visitors listened to under the light of the sails on the Northwind Schooner.
Selections:
Breaths by Ysaye Barnwell
Bring Me Little Water, Silvy - arr. Moira Smiley
Flow Water by Damien Kehoe
Hope Lingers On by Andrea Ramsey
Sawubona - trad. Zulu, arr. J Ramsayer Miller
Forbes
“[I]nspired by Fell’s strong palette feature a patchwork botanical motif referencing chintz, a patterned, floral textile that Judge likely used while creating Martha Washington’s gowns. allegra’s design incorporates plants that grow along Philadelphia’s riverbanks, including ginkgo—one of the world’s oldest surviving trees known for their resilience—and mugwort—an herb associated with both spiritual and medicinal healing properties.”
- Chadd Scott
Acknowledgements:
Curation & Project Management
Curator - Rob Blackson at Art Philly
Project Manager - Nicole Pollard
Research
Enormous thanks to Terri Edmonds, mother of Dominique Rem’mie Fells, and her family for their generosity in sharing with me stories of their beloved one and much gratitude for the scholarship of Erica Armstrong Dunbar on Ona’s incredible self determination.
Michael Bixler at Hidden City Philadelphia
John Anderies at the William Way LGBT Community Center
Jeff Huffenberger at the Independence Seaport Museum
Elizabeth Kristian and Sarah Clement at the Mystic Seaport Museum
Amanda Issac at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
The North Wind Schooner
Captain/President - Scott Hughes
Captain - Mitch Brodkin
Education & Community Programs - Andrea Robinson
Crew - Jack Hughes
Bob Bevan
Paul Thomas
Docking & Programming Host
Sara Eberle - Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Schooner Docents
Kieran Becker
Zoe Greggs
Zion Herring
Tomarra Sankara
Sail Fabrication
Fabric Workshop Museum
Project Manager - Olivia Dwyer
Director of Studio Operations - Nami Yamamoto
Assistant - Thomas Rowe
Traditional Rigging
Dayle Ward
Ginko Leaf Fabrication
Nicolo Gentile
Libby Rosa at Delaware River Waterfront Corporation
Procession
Musical Director - V. Shayne Frederick
Ajibola Rivers
Akili Farrow
Alberta Douglas
Elizabeth Steiner
Evangeline Getty Brooks
Karen Smith & ensemble
Kyran Littlejohn
Libby Rosa
Nicolo Gentile
Opus Four
Ramona Douglas
Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia
V. Shayne Frederick
Voices of Philadelphia Choir
Sail Through This To That - Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia on the Delaware River
Musical Director - Maya Kociba
Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia
Sail Through This To That - Poetry Sail
Poet - Evangeline Getty Brooks
Poet - Michael J. Ivory, Jr.
Poet - Raina J. León
Sail Through This To That - Rest on the River
Musician - Hudson River
Video Credit (in order of apperance)
Schuylkill River at Bartram’s Garden - indira allegra
Sail Raising - Conrad Benner
Procession - Justin Rubich
Image Credit
North Wind Schooner - Conrad Benner
Procession beginning - Greta Rainbow
Sail Through This to That: Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia on the Delaware River - Erika Arthur
Gingko at Bartram’s Garden - Anisha Chirmule
North Wind Schooner - Olivia Dwyer