A Secret History of American River People is an immersive, multi-layered exhibition that explores how rivers shape human experience, memory, and resilience. Through large-scale photography, ambient video and audio installations, oral histories, sculptural elements, and interactive new media, the exhibition creates a dynamic space for reflection and dialogue.
At its center is a handcrafted shantyboat—part sculpture, part research vessel—serving as both an anchor for the exhibition and a portal into the lived histories of river communities. Gathered through extensive fieldwork, these deeply personal narratives reveal patterns of displacement, environmental change, and cultural survival that ripple far beyond the river’s edge.
Visitors move through a space where images, voices, and landscapes weave together a complex, living history. Layered storytelling and soundscapes that shift dynamically, creating an ever-changing auditory experience, immerse audiences in the stories of river people across time and place. This integration of new media art with oral history and sculptural installation transforms the exhibition into an evolving conversation rather than a static display.
Intimate yet expansive, Secret History is a meditation on place, a challenge to dominant histories, and an invitation to rethink our relationships to the landscapes and communities we call home.
Visual Overview
This exhibition is designed to be visually striking and spatially immersive, drawing audiences into the layered histories and lived experiences of river communities.
The images below highlight how A Secret History of American River People transforms exhibition spaces—whether through the presence of the shantyboat itself, large-scale photographic installations, or interactive media. Each presentation adapts to its environment, creating a site-specific experience that invites audiences to engage deeply with the work.
These visuals offer a glimpse into how the exhibition has been staged in museums, galleries, and alternative spaces, showcasing its flexibility and impact across different contexts.
Artistic Framework
A Secret History of American River People exists at the intersection of social practice, environmental art, and documentary aesthetics, engaging audiences through participatory storytelling, site-specific installation, and interactive new media.
At its core, the project challenges dominant narratives by centering the voices of river communities—voices often excluded from historical archives. Rather than presenting a fixed story, the exhibition creates a living space where history, place, and identity remain fluid and contested.
The work builds on traditions of artists like Suzanne Lacy, The Harrisons, and Mark Dion, who explore the intersections of environment, society, and art. It is equally informed by the ethics of oral historians and social documentarians such as Alan Lomax, Howard Zinn, and Dorothea Lange, whose work foregrounds personal storytelling as an act of cultural preservation and resistance.
Interactive media elements—sensor-driven installations, responsive audio layers, and networked storytelling—further activate the space, making the exhibition an evolving conversation rather than a static display. Visitors engage not only with artifacts and images but with living systems that respond to their presence, mirroring the way rivers shape and are shaped by human lives.
More than an exhibition, A Secret History is a meditation on resilience, an experiment in collective memory, and a call to reconsider the futures we might still imagine. It reveals how river communities, past and present, carve out lives beyond the frameworks of capitalism, extraction, and displacement—offering not just history, but possibility.
Exhibition Details
A Secret History of American River People is designed for flexibility, allowing institutions to tailor the exhibition to their space, audience, and curatorial vision.
Flexible Exhibition Formats
A Secret History of American River People can be adapted to different spaces and institutional needs. Exhibition formats include:
- Full Installation – A large-scale exhibition featuring photographic works, new media components, artifacts, and immersive audio-visual storytelling.
- Pop-Up Exhibition – A site-specific, short-term installation that engages visitors through participatory storytelling and the presence of the shantyboat.
- Shantyboat Component – When available, the shantyboat can be included as a sculptural centerpiece, exhibited indoors (space permitting), outdoors, or docked at a waterfront location.
Physical Installation Details
The exhibition is designed for flexibility while maintaining its immersive nature:
- Gallery Space Requirements – Preferred exhibition space is 1,500–2,500 sq. ft., though installations can be scaled for smaller venues.
- Shantyboat Display Options:
- Indoors – Requires large entry doors (minimum 9 ft. wide, 10 ft. high) and reinforced flooring.
- Outdoor on Trailer – Requires a secure location for public access.
- Docked Exhibition – Requires safe public access, dock space, and infrastructure for mooring.
- Technical Considerations – Exhibition elements may include multimedia components requiring power outlets, audio-visual equipment, and adjustable gallery lighting.
Programming & Community Engagement
The exhibition extends beyond gallery walls through public programming designed to foster community dialogue and deeper engagement:
- Artist Talks & Public Lectures – Presentations on the project’s evolution, fieldwork experiences, and the intersection of art, history, and river culture.
- Community Conversations – Facilitated discussions with local historians, river community members, and environmental activists.
- Educational Workshops – Interactive sessions for schools and community groups, covering oral history techniques, river storytelling, and environmental justice.
- Story Collection Events – Opportunities for community members to contribute their own river-related histories to the project’s living archive.
- Public Engagement Activities – Gallery walkthroughs, social media collaborations, and integration with local cultural events.
These additions ensure potential exhibition partners understand the project’s adaptability and the range of engagement opportunities available.
Audience Engagement & Impact
A Secret History of American River People has engaged audiences across the country through immersive in-person exhibitions, interactive programming, and a far-reaching digital presence. The project fosters meaningful connections by inviting visitors to step into a living archive of river stories—one that is participatory, evolving, and deeply personal.
By the Numbers:
Over the past decade, the exhibition has:
- Engaged more than 12,000 visitors on-site at museums, galleries, and public installations.
- Collected 160+ oral histories, preserving the voices of river communities across five major U.S. waterways.
- Presented in 65 museums and institutions nationwide.
- Reached global audiences through 2.7 million+ documentary views and an online community of over 100,000 followers.
Beyond these numbers, audience impact is best understood through direct experience—the conversations sparked between strangers, the moments of recognition and resonance, and the ways in which visitors see their own lives reflected in the work.
“I had no idea how much of my own family’s history was tied to the river until I stepped into this exhibition. It made me see the water differently.”
“This project isn’t just documenting stories—it’s making connections between past and present, between places that feel far apart but share the same struggles.”
“The shantyboat feels like a time capsule and a portal at the same time. It’s history you can feel.”
The exhibition’s ability to bridge environmental history, contemporary art, and community storytelling has been widely recognized. Atlas Obscura describes it as “a moving museum/work of art, documenting the oral histories of American river communities and their deep connection to the water.” Similarly, the International Sculpture Center calls it “part art, part adventure, and part historical case-study, a vision to enlighten the modern lifestyle.”
Through its blend of in-person interaction, participatory media, and new media storytelling, A Secret History invites audiences not just to observe, but to listen, reflect, and engage.
Previous Exhibitions
A Secret History of American River People has been exhibited at respected cultural institutions across the United States, including:
- Portland Museum (Louisville, KY) – A six-month exhibition integrating built-out environments, ambient video and soundscapes, and interactive multimedia, culminating in a closing event featuring the shantyboat.
- White Box Gallery (New York, NY) – A contemporary art exhibition incorporating large-scale photography, new media, immersive video and audio installations, and sculptural elements.
- Waterfront Museum (Brooklyn, NY) – Multi-media installation incorporating photography, video, oral histories, and interactive storytelling elements, highlighting river life and environmental change.
- Sacramento History Museum (Sacramento, CA) – A mixed-media exhibition integrating regional river histories with broader themes of resilience and displacement, featuring built-out artifacts and participatory storytelling.
- River Discovery Center (Paducah, KY) – A full installation including built-out dock elements, interactive oral histories, and immersive multimedia, complemented by the trailered shantyboat on-site.
- Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts (Florence, AL) – A regional exhibition incorporating built-out installations, multimedia storytelling, and participatory engagement, in conjunction with the shantyboat moored at a nearby harbor.
- Knoxville Museum of Art / Volunteer Landing (Knoxville, TN) – A site-specific pop-up installation along the waterfront, engaging visitors in oral histories, participatory storytelling, and discussions about regional river life.
- National Mississippi River Museum (Dubuque, IA) – A high-profile pop-up at one of the nation’s premier river museums, connecting contemporary river narratives with historical river culture through in-person engagement and participatory elements.
“It’s a great fit because we have this rich history with the river and we have this rich history of shantyboat communities. Like Modes, we interpret history and heritage through the arts and culture.” – Portland Museum
These institutions have presented A Secret History as part of contemporary art programs, environmental humanities initiatives, and public history projects, reinforcing its relevance across disciplines.
Press & Critical Recognition
The project has received national and international media coverage for its innovative approach to oral history, environmental storytelling, and participatory art. Highlights include:
“Modes has created a moving museum/work of art, documenting the oral histories of American river communities and their deep connection to the water.” – Atlas Obscura
Other features include coverage in Boating Magazine, Fair Companies, Laughing Squid, BBC Between the Ears, and BBC Outlook, further establishing the project’s impact beyond the art world.
“An exhibition that transforms oral history into something profoundly immersive.” – International Sculpture Center
Through these exhibitions and media engagements, A Secret History continues to connect audiences across disciplines, geographies, and cultural perspectives.
About the Artist
Wes Modes is a social practice artist, storyteller, and researcher whose work explores the histories and experiences of people living at the margins. Their multidisciplinary practice spans oral history, participatory art, and immersive installation, focusing on how personal narratives intersect with environmental, social, and historical forces.
Modes’ ongoing project, A Secret History of American River People, blends fieldwork, sculptural installation, and dialogic storytelling to examine how rivers shape communities and identities. Their work challenges dominant narratives, engaging audiences through participatory experiences that invite reflection, connection, and conversation.
Their artistic practice is rooted in the belief that history is not something that fades into the past—it is always present, shaped by those willing to listen. Through immersive environments, interactive media, and lived experience, Modes’ work disrupts traditional storytelling frameworks, creating spaces where voices too often unheard take center stage, and where the boundaries between past, present, and future remain open to question.
Bring This Exhibition to Your Space
A Secret History of American River People is available for exhibition at museums, galleries, and cultural institutions. The installation is adaptable to a range of spaces, from traditional galleries to immersive, site-specific presentations. The exhibition can include large-scale photography, video, oral histories, new media, interactive elements, and—when available—the shantyboat as a sculptural centerpiece.
Next Steps:
- Request the Exhibition Proposal – Full details on installation requirements, programming options, and exhibition fees.
- Discuss Customization – The exhibition is flexible and can be tailored to your institution’s space, audience, and curatorial focus.
- Secure a Date – Bookings are open for 2026 and beyond, with flexible scheduling options.
For inquiries or to explore a partnership, contact Wes Modes.