Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Wareham County boats the highest production of cranberries in Massachusetts. The Buzzards Bay watershed also supports light industry along its rivers. As predicted sea levels rise, how will the region maintain its history and economy? Early cranberry bogs benefitted from Cape Verdean immigrants who arrived via whaling ships. A centrally located defunct nail factory is a fitting site for a memorial park that would honor the shifting economies of the region, but also the shifting labor force and layered cultural landscapes. A designed coast proposes landscapes berms that mimic boats in a harbor. As the tides rise and fall, these berms vascillate between islands and accessible parkland. A kayak share program also activates the bay for tourism and local recreation. Introducing tourism and reviving this historic site opens up public dialogue about the past and the future.