GENERATION 01 / 07
Akofena
1783–1827
The ancestral beginning
An Ashanti princess and warrior-clan descendant, Akofena begins the lineage as Dada’s mother.
THE FAMILY THREAD
Read the artist’s full narrativeMother of Dada
THE MISSY BURTON EXPERIENCE / FEATURED EXHIBITION
Dynasty
The Peculiar Search for Totality
A family’s story.
Through the women who carry it.
A photographic series by Missy Burton, tracing an ancestral journey through enslavement, freedom, and the reclamation of legacy. The artist centers triumph and gives each woman a voice through poetic storytelling and augmented reality.
Exhibition artwork and story by Missy Burton. Presented from the artist’s About Dynasty page; these are the exhibition’s narratives, not independently verified genealogical records.
THE WOMEN OF DYNASTY
A legacy carried forward.
Choose a woman to follow the family across seven generations.
Let each woman tell you her story
Select a woman’s name below, then select her photograph to open the full image on your laptop, desktop, or tablet. With Sanaa.io downloaded on your phone, open the app and scan the photograph to bring her portrait to life and hear her story.
Repeat with each woman’s photo to experience all seven stories.
Get the app & view scanning instructionsThe complete narrative addresses enslavement, sexual violence, and family loss. These brief introductions focus on lineage and legacy. Dates follow the artist’s exhibition text.
ART / VOICE / PRESENCE
Beyond the photograph.
THE MISSY BURTON EXPERIENCE + A/R
About the collaboration
When creating Dynasty, Missy Burton wanted the story to center on triumph: how each generation worked to restore its legacy despite tragedy. Each woman needed to tell her own story, in her own voice.
The collaboration with Sanaa.io brought that intention into augmented reality. Paired with poetic prose written by Burton for the series, the portraits invite viewers to encounter the narrative from each woman’s point of view.
ART MEETS TECHNOLOGY
About Sanaa.io
Sanaa, Swahili for ‘Art’, or more specifically a “work of beauty.” Sanaa.io brings art and technology together through augmented reality, allowing artworks to come to life and extend their stories beyond the image.
For Dynasty, the mobile app connects the photographs with the women’s narrated stories. Use the app-store buttons below to download it directly to your phone.
Visit Sanaa.io01 / AUGMENTED REALITY
Your phone brings the portraits to life
Use two devices: a laptop, desktop, or tablet to display a Dynasty portrait, and your phone with the Sanaa.io app to scan it. Through your phone, the portrait comes to life and the woman tells her story.
Download Sanaa.io on your phone
Buttons open the app stores directly.
Experience Dynasty in A/R
- Display a portrait on your second device. Open this exhibition on a laptop, desktop, or tablet. Choose a woman above and select her photograph to open the full image.
- Get your phone ready. Install and open Sanaa.io, complete the first-time walkthrough, and turn up your phone’s volume.
- Scan the image. Tap Scan Art in the app. Point your phone at the portrait on the other screen so it is visible in the scan view, then press and hold the Hold to Scan Art thumbprint.
- Watch and listen. When the scan completes, release your finger and experience the woman’s story through your phone.
Browsing on your phone? Open this exhibition on a second screen to display the portrait while your phone scans it. The AR experience runs in Sanaa.io, not in this webpage.
02 / VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
The Dynasty Exhibition: Virtual Tour
The Missy Burton Experience welcomes you to explore Dynasty: The Peculiar Search for Totality through a 360° virtual tour inside the African American Museum of Dallas. Move through the exhibition and examine the photographs up close.
Virtual tour tips
Click and hold your mouse to pivot your view. Use the white, semi-transparent floor markers to move through the gallery. Select a photograph’s tag to move directly in front of it and read details about the work.
Viewing on your device
The tour is designed for common desktop and mobile devices, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Its appearance and functionality may vary with your browser and screen size.
Open the 360° virtual tourTHE ARTIST & THE WORK
Missy Burton
Photography, Dynasty narrative, and poetic prose: Missy Burton.
Original exhibition AR collaboration: Sanaa.io.
Virtual-tour location: African American Museum of Dallas.
Artwork remains credited to Missy Burton. The exhibition’s collaborators and venue are credited for this work; they are not presented as partners of the new Legacy Mapped project.