I Am a Man and a Brother: Re-interpreting Wedgwood’s Anti-Slavery Medallion

About the Project

Supported by the Art Fund, I Am a Man and a Brother seeks to expand the narrative of the Wedgwood Anti-Slavery Medallion. Considering its creation, imagery and significance for today’s audiences, the project aims to rethink the medallion for the 21st century through events, displays and discussion.

Context

From 1787, Josiah Wedgwood produced ceramic tokens showing an enslaved man in chains with the words ‘Am I Not a Man and a Brother?’. As the global Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum in 2020, the team reflected on the interpretation of Wedgwood’s Anti-Slavery Medallion. Wedgwood was rightly but unquestioningly hailed as a prominent 18th-century voice in the campaign for the abolition of slavery. But whose voices were not heard? This collaborative project explores the production, imagery and context of the medallion through displays, events, digital content and academic discussion.

Aim

The project aims to explore the complex histories of the Anti-Slavery Medallion and to connect with artists, activists and young people to inspire discussion of its contemporary context and to provide more nuanced interpretation in all our V&A gallery displays and online. From the story of Wedgwood’s friend, abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, to the women whose boycotts and campaigns were pivotal to the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, this project sets the medallion in context as a protest symbol, one of many tools used during the long campaign in Britain to abolish the slave trade.

Outcomes

Permanent redisplay of the medallion at the V&A Wedgwood Collection co-curated with artists, activists and young people; school workshop programme with City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College; poetry commission 'Black Man Cast in Clay' by Gabriella Gay; display and trail at the V&A Wedgwood Collection, 2021-2; creation by Wedgwood of a limited edition ‘Medallion for the 21st Century’, based on a design by Amy Sproston, City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College, 2021; events, discussions and roundtables; learning resource for schools; online resources.