Statue of Harriet Tubman (DeDecker)

A statue of Harriet Tubman created by artist Jane DeDecker[1] honors the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The bronze statue depicts Tubman walking and holding the hand of a young boy.

Statue of Harriet Tubman
ArtistJane DeDecker
Year2006
Typebronze
LocationYpsilanti, Michigan, USA
Coordinates42°14′26″N 83°36′56″W

There are several installations of identical copies of the statue, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in Little Rock, Arkansas, in Gainesville, Georgia, and in Mesa, Arizona.

Installations

The statue was made in an edition of seven. Critics have noted that the statue's expression suggests Tubman's "gentle caring manner and generosity."[2]

The statue in Ypsilanti, Michigan, was unveiled on 21 May, 2006, as part of a redevelopment of a plaza adjacent to the Ypsilanti District Library.[3] Two years later, the library board added a plaque to the statue describing Tubman's life and achievements as a response to local queries about the statue; the original plaque was located at the base of the rear of the statue in an area difficult to read easily.[4] The plaque and statue commemorate Ypsilanti's connection to the Underground Railroad.[5]

The one in Little Rock, Arkansas, was originally placed in Little Rock's Riverfront Park; however, during the construction of the Game and Fish Nature Center in the park it was relocated to the entrance of Clinton Presidential Center[6] as part of a series of six pieces of art lining a walkway from the downtown area of Little Rock to the Presidential Center.[7]

The one in Gainesville, Georgia, is located at the entrance to Thurmond–McRae Lecture Hall on the campus of Brenau University.[8] Its installation was the first instance of an educational institution in the southern United States honoring Tubman in such a visible way.[9] A further identical statue is located on the campus of Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia.

References
  1. "Jane DeDecker Biography Cavalier Galleries". cavaliergalleries.com. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  2. Elise Anne Geltzer (2015). "Variations on a Theme: Contemporary Memorials to Harriet Tubman". CUNY master's thesis.
  3. "YDL-Michigan Ypsilanti District Library". www.ypsilibrary.org. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  4. "Tubman gets proper recognition; Plaque explains who she was, what she did". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  5. "A look at Ypsilanti's role in the Underground Railroad". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  6. Scott. "Sculpture Vulture: Harriet Tubman". Little Rock Culture Vulture. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  7. "Harriet Tubman Public Art Archive". www.publicartarchive.org. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  8. "Public Art Tour in Gainesville, Georgia Vision 2030". www.vision2030.org. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  9. Sernett, Milton C. (2007). Harriet Tubman: Myth, Memory, and History. Duke University Press. p. 245.
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