AMERICAN(A) PROPERTY operates as a developing registry for the intake and documentation of objects linked to the visual history of race in American culture. The project records the transfer, material condition, and custodial lineage of submitted artifacts through regional property recording practices and institutional collection protocols.
The registry is currently seeking contributions of objects commonly categorized as "Black Americana," including figurines, kitchenware, advertisements, collectibles, textiles, and other forms of racialized Americana.
Images from AP ARCHIVE #001 _ INTAKE SESSION 1 _ 11 APRIL 2026
Individuals in possession of objects commonly categorized as "Black Americana" or racialized Americana are invited to participate in the registry. Participants may include collectors, inheritors, estate executors, antique dealers, thrift shoppers, families, and members of the public seeking a thoughtful destination for such materials.
WHO participates in AMERICAN(A) PROPERTY?
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WHAT occurs during an intake?
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Participants meet with a representative of AMERICAN(A) PROPERTY to review and document objects through a formalized intake process. Eligible materials are recorded through a deed-based transfer procedure and incorporated into the registry's developing archive.
In recognition of their contribution, participants receive a limited-edition carbon-copy print functioning as both an artwork and archival record.
WHAT OBJECTS ARE SOUGHT BY THE REGISTRY?
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AMERICAN(A) PROPERTY is currently seeking objects commonly categorized as "Black Americana" or racialized Americana, including but not limited to:
Figurines and statuary
Cookie jars and kitchenware
Ceramic and porcelain objects
Salt and pepper shakers
Dolls and toys
Advertisements and signage
Commercial memorabilia
Printed ephemera and postcards
Textiles and fabric objects
Collectibles and novelty items
Objects may be damaged, incomplete, repaired, altered, worn, or otherwise show evidence of age and use.
The registry is particularly interested in inherited materials, estate-sale finds, family collections, and objects that provoke discomfort, uncertainty, or contradiction.
WHEN does the public intake registry operate?
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The next public intake session will take place on:
June 19, 2026
10 a.m.–12 p.m. and 2–4 p.m.
Additional intake sessions may be announced periodically.
The June 19, 2026 intake session coincides with Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the delayed notification of emancipation to enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas. For AMERICAN(A) PROPERTY, the date serves as a point of reflection on how objects, histories, and cultural memory continue to move through generations in uneven and unresolved ways.
WHERE is the registry located?
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The Juneteenth public intake session will be conducted at:
McColl Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
HOW are objects documented and transferred?
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Objects accepted into the registry are documented through a standardized intake procedure that records descriptive, historical, and provenance information provided by participants.
Following documentation, contributors may voluntarily transfer ownership of eligible objects to AMERICAN(A) PROPERTY through a deed-based conveyance process. Materials accepted into the archive are intended for future research, exhibition, and educational use within museum, university, and public-facing contexts.
