“The Lenape tribe is believed to have occupied the region at the time of the arrival of Dutch and Swedish colonists in the 17th Century. Why then does the history of Glen Foerd begin with the colonization, while erasing any history of te Native population prior to the building of what we now call the Glen Foerd estate?... I aim to understand and share the history of those who came before and existed fully outside of colonization and the residence of Glen Foerd… In the same way that the history of the servants of grounds is viewed primarily in relation to the physical structures in which they worked, the history of native peoples is often literally built over because they did not build long lasting permanent structures on the lands in which they lived.” - Vessna Scheff

The aforementioned statement was the starting point for the residency of artist Vessna Scheff at Glen Foerd in 2018. Depicted in the five panel abstract portrait cut from mular is modern Lenape language historian, Shelly DePaul, who has made great efforts to preserve the Southern Unami dialect of the Lenape language. DePaul has created written and oral materials for children and adults in her community despite barriers, including the dispersed population and difficult choices about dialect variation and orthography.

Vessna Scheff is a Philadelphia singer, songwriter, and watercolorist who uses art to portray people, particularly people of color, as beautiful and whole.