Birth of the Couch
The Watermelon Couch started the way most of James "Creative" Shields' work starts: build something, see what happens, then do something next.
In 2022, a year back into art full-time, Shields was tasked with creating an installation for a Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, CA. His work in soft sculpture had led him on the path of upholstery. He did have an old couch that had seen better days. So he repurposed into a symbol of Blackness- The Watermelon.
The goal was simple and plain for Shields - discover the magic. A viral video made it clear - the world is thirsty for the knowledge of our farmers and community leaders. So he continued on. 3 years in a row. Exploring, documenting, sharing.
Now a documentarian, but forever a wandering artist.
Once the couch was debuted, the message was clear "take it to the streets — or more specifically, the farms." One step led to another, and a year later he was on the road.
He'd already spent years figuring out how to make art with almost nothing to his name. Three separate solo, one-way-ticket trips through Europe, Africa, and Colombia — painting murals in cities and teaching, but more importantly learning what it truly meant to be a global citizen. A stint organizing for a labor union taught him something else entirely: the power of a worker's story told plainly, and the discipline of actually documenting it. Both show up in every stop the couch makes today.
BUILDING THE LIVING ARCHIVE
Season 1 - 2023
30 days
24 interviews
8k miles
10 states
Season 2 - 2024
90 days
51 interviews
11k miles
27 states
Season 3 - 2025
90 days
96 interviews
8k miles
14 states
THE ROADTRIPS
The Watermelon Couch isn't just an art piece — it's a movement. What started as a bold, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind sculpture has grown into a nationwide journey retracing the Great Migration routes Black families traveled in the 1940s and '50s.
Every summer, the couch hits the road — bringing art, storytelling, and community engagement to cities along the way. This is about more than travel. It's about connection, history, and celebrating our collective culture, one stop at a time.
Partnerships + Supporters
The couch runs on the people and institutions who believe in it. Partner as a brand or institution for sponsorship, activation, and co-programming — or donate with no strings attached, routed through our fiscal sponsor, The Alena Museum, straight into keeping the couch on the road. Museums and schools can also book the 10-week curriculum (or the 4-week sprint) built around Black History Month programming.
