FHN + Bayside Hoyas and Youth From De Weese Carter Center Detention Facility
KidSPOT, RiverArts Chestertown, MD
JANUARY 28, 2017

This project kicked off with a presentation informing our youth participants about Harriet Tubman, code quilts associated with the Underground Railroad, and Spirituals in African American Art. The finished project is a sculptural wall painting constructed out of multiple shaped panels that protrude from the wall at varying depths. It depicts Harriet Tubman in the center of larger shapes that reference various patterns used in “code quilts” that may have been used to aid people escaping by the Underground Railroad.Five girls from the Carter Center, a juvenile detention facility located in Chestertown, were able to participate in the project. The project included an anonymous journaling session midway through the day, in which youth recorded their feelings and thoughts during this experience.

“I’ve never painted anything like this before,” a Carter Center girl said. “I think it’s awesome. Especially that people will get to see it.”

The project culminated in a group exhibition in the gallery at RiverArts during Black History Month, and the painting won “People’s Choice Award,” RiverArts 2017 February Exhibits.