A sculpture of Maryland abolitionist Harriet Tubman will be displayed outside of the Banneker-Douglas Museum in Annapolis, starting Sept. 1.
The sculpture, created by Baltimore artist Joyce J. Scott, is titled “Araminta with Rifle and Vévé.” It will be on display at the museum from Sept. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.
Its exhibition coincides with the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial, which celebrates 200 years since Tubman’s birth in Dorchester County, Maryland, as well as September as International Underground Railroad Month.
Created with milled foam, blown glass, and appliques, the 10-foot sculpture will stand directly outside of the main entrance of Banneker-Douglas Museum.
“Araminta with Rifle and Vévé” was first displayed during “Harriet Tubman and Other Truths,” a 2018 exhibition by Scott at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey.
Banneker-Douglas collection curator Schillica Howard called Scott’s work “a touchstone in the museum’s history.”
“Two years after opening in 1984, Banneker-Douglass Museum had its first group art exhibition and Joyce J. Scott was the only woman artist featured,” Howard said in a statement. “As the daughter of quilter/textile artist Elizabeth Talford Scott, Joyce’s work often centers legacy and defiance. This sculpture allows visitors to celebrate both concepts.”
Scott’s work is currently on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art; Smithsonian American Art Museum; Spencer Museum of Art; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2016 for her accomplishments in the field of visual art.
Born Araminta Ross in 1822, Harriet Tubman was enslaved by the Brodess family in Dorchester County. She escaped slavery in 1849, after her marriage to the freed John Tubman.
After her escape, Tubman led at least 70 formerly enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad, also returning to Dorchester County to free her family and others enslaved by the Brodess family.
“Araminta with Rifle and Vévé” is one of the first in an upcoming exhibition at Banneker-Douglas, “The Radical Voice of Blackness Speaks of Resistance and Joy,” which will feature works from 15 Black Maryland artists and the Banneker-Douglass Museum Fine Art Collection.
“This exhibition explores America’s fraught history of systemic racism with thought-provoking narratives while celebrating the resiliency of a people who have persevered despite social and political devices to suppress them,” museum officials said in a press release.
Myrtis Belladonna of Galerie Myrtis in North Baltimore is guest curating the exhibit, which opens on Nov. 10, 2022.
Admission to the Banneker-Douglas Museum is free to the public, but donations are encouraged. For more information, visit the Banneker-Douglas Museum’s website.
Joyce Scott – Your art has humbled and inspired. Following your exhibition over the years has been a joy and a challenge.
Thank you.