Following the North Star aims to preserve the memories of those who were determined to be free, and for those people who were courageous enough to help them. I drew inspiration through an old slave song, “Wading the Waters”, and images of St. Michael carrying passengers to safety.
Additional inspiration came from stories from neighbors, which fascinated me. This sculpture aims to capture a moment of the courage it took to overcome fear and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to escape from slavery.
Many slaves who escaped through the Under Ground Railroad tried to do so under the cover of darkness, loosing the tracking hounds by entering cold streams.
