Celebrate with us as we open the only sculpture park in the nation created to honor
the United States Colored Troops and their fight for freedom.
Call For Descendants
February 1865, 1,800+ United States Colored Troops fought for 2 straight days on the grounds of what is now Cameron Art Museum. In November 2021, CAM erected a bronze sculpture by North Carolina artist Stephen Hayes of eleven USCT soldiers to honor the brave men who charged into fire for the preservation of this nation but more importantly, the freedom of themselves and all their loved ones still in bondage.
It took a combined community effort to excavate the land, comb through old military documents, and raise money to commission the artist and install the permanent installation of Boundless on our grounds.
As we take a deeper look into the individual lives that marched, fought, and died, we know only so much information can be found online. The stories of these brave men were passed down as oral histories that lives in the hearts and minds of the descendants walking the globe today.
Cameron Art Museum now issues a call for descendants of the 1st, 5th, 10th, 27th, and 37th United States Colored Troops regiments for oral history collection and for a homecoming celebration for descendants in November 2023 to honor the legacy of these brave men and their families.
Please contact Daniel Jones, Cultural Curator, at djones@cameronartmuseum.org for more information.
Click here to view a PDF documenting the names of the soldiers of the United States Colored Troops
A Public Sculpture by NC Artist Stephen Hayes
Commemorating the United States Colored Troops and Their Fight for Freedom
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Learn More About Boundless and the United States Colored Troops
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The Work Continues!
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Boundless and the USCT Sculpture Park are made possible in part by generous donations from the community.
Cameron Art Museum was the site of the Battle of Forks Road, a Civil War skirmish whose victory was won by the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and led to the fall of Wilmington. Their impact is significant, yet their story is virtually unknown.
About the Project
North Carolina artist Stephen Hayes has fashioned this life-size bronze sculpture from the cast features of 11 African American men connected to the site and its story - USCT descendants, re-enactors, veterans, and community leaders. The sculpture is connected deeply to the community’s history, its present, and its future.
About the Artist
Stephen Hayes is the winner of the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art. He teaches in the department of Art and Art History at Duke University. Hayes's work has been featured at the National Cathedral, Winston Salem State University, Duke University, CAM Raleigh, Rosa Parks Museum, African American Museum of Philadelphia, and Harvey B. Gantt Center, among others.
Thank you to the Boundless Committee for their hard work in making this project possible.
Carol Miller Chair
Barbara Akinwole
Fred & Simone Allen
Ava Baker
Alma Brooks
Sheila Cannon-Santos
Renée Sander-Lawson
Primus Robinson
Thank you to our sponsors:
HTR Foundation
Women's Impact Network of New Hanover County
AARP North Carolina
Karen A. Bencke
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
City of Wilmington
Corning Incorporated
Joseph and Whitney Finley
Drs. William and Carol Malloy and Ms. Maxine Terry