Artist Kate Browne stands near a framework section of the “Cocoon” that she’s creating in Steelton.
Kate Browne has chosen Steelton as the next location for “Cocoon,” an art series focused on the sites of forced and voluntary migrations, the struggles with traumatic histories, and the narratives that arise.
“This is a way to put the past, present, and future together in one place at one time,” said Browne, an international performance installation artist and York County native who now lives in New York City. “It’s a connection to missing links in history by allowing the history of a place to emerge into the light and elucidate our understanding.”
When asked, “Why Steelton?” she responded, “During WWII my father was a doctor. After the war, he didn’t want to continue in that field, so he went to school using the GI Bill and became an engineer. He worked at the steel mills in Steelton and Williamsport when I was a young girl, and I realized how I was peripherally affected in my life by my father’s work in the steel industry.”
While researching for the Steelton project, the seventh installation in her “Cocoon” series, she realized it worked well with her understanding of migrations. The town and the mill exist because of each other, with people coming from Europe and southern United States to create a community that became a very American place. She traced these migrations back to Civil War times.
“Steelton is full of a detailed history of these migrations to the town in the search of steady employment,” she said.
The Pennsylvania Steel Company was America’s first steel company, and they chose Steelton to become their home. Production of steel rails began in 1868 to supply the burgeoning need for steel railway tracks. Over the years, the company has changed hands, first becoming Bethlehem Steel, followed by International Steel Group, ArcelorMittal and, finally, Cleveland Cliffs.
Browne has been working on the Steelton project since 2019, beginning with research on the history of the town and the steel mill. At that time, she was working on the final stages of her “Cocoon” in Miskolc, Hungary, and realized that Miskolc had also been home to steel manufacturing, which over the years became defunct and caused increasingly hard times. The mountains surrounding Miskolc reminded her of the terrain in Steelton; the jump off to choosing Steelton as the next installation was complete.
Browne has interviewed Steelton residents, union and town officials, and mill employees, ranging from ages 20 to 90. Her connection to these people began with Barbara Barksdale, a well-known Steelton resident and member of the group, Hallowed Grounds, an organization whose mission is to restore, preserve, and educate the public on the vast history of those who are buried in historical Midland Cemetery.
Browne also partnered with United Steelworkers Union 1688 to contact past and present workers at the steel mill. They have opened their doors to Browne’s work and supplied her with interview and photographic space.
“The Borough of Steelton and the Women of Steel must also be given thanks in assisting me with this project,” she said.
“As the steel industry shrunk in the United States, Steelton was a site that never completely closed down,” Browne said. “It survived because of the local union and their hard work in saving jobs. The steel produced here is tested many times over for resiliency, strength, and quality – similar to the people who migrated here for jobs.”
The building of the cocoon began in mid-August. The structure will be a 10-by-26-foot illuminated cocoon that will be created by the shaping of local maple saplings and covered with woven corn stalks. Inside, the cocoon will be photographs of residents’ memorabilia that has been woven into the sculpture’s interior, the soundtrack from the stories collected by Browne will play.
“You will get the feeling of walking through a space and overhearing conversations between various people,” she said.
“The interviews focus on the reality of living in a small steel town with a single industry economy where jobs have shrunk considerably since the 1950s,” she added. “Today, the situation is far from over as the steel mill has recently changed hands again… It is important to document how the history of the single economy, local union, generations of families, tell their stories and make decisions about their future.”
This outdoor performance will be held on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 7 to 9 p.m., beginning with a procession of small lights being held by participants and printed with their family’s place of origin. They will proceed down Locust Street to the illuminated “Cocoon” sculpture located behind the Dollar General Store facing the Cleveland Cliffs large mill building.
When the destination of the “Cocoon” is reached, participants will place their light on top of a group of specially constructed poles surrounding the “Cocoon.” Large scale portraits of the participants will be projected onto the side of the mill building. The public will then be invited to walk through the “Cocoon,” see the memorabilia, and hear the recorded stories.
The “Cocoon” will only be on view for a short period of time due to its delicate construction, but the Susquehanna Art Museum will display the “Cocoon,” along with photos of participants and memorabilia and the soundtrack from the experience. This exhibit will take place Feb.10 to May 19, 2024.
For more information on Kate Browne’s “Cocoon” installations in Mexico City; Jackson and Greenwood, Miss.; Goutte d’Or, Paris; The Bronx, New York; and Miskolc, Hungary. Visit her website www.bykatebrowne.com, Facebook @CocoonbyKateBrowne, Instagram cocoonbykatebrowne.
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