Be sure to make a quick walk down Franklin Street from Church Circle to see the newest sculpture in Annapolis. It’s an awe inspiring 10 foot statue called “Araminta with Rifle and Vévé” (2017), created by MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dr. Joyce J. Scott.
This Harriet Tubman monument is made of painted milled foam with found objects, blown glass, and mixed media appliqués. Tubman holds in her hands a beaded rifle adorned with flowers and a beaded staff, called a vévé. The statue evokes a feeling of power, inspiring with its swirling skirts and sheer height. But also portraying a sense of caring and good nature with flowers on her rifle and shiny buttons on her dress.
Viewing this newest sculpture will be a perfect way to continue celebrating the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial and to start off International Underground Railroad Month.
Provocative and piercing, the sculpture was originally a part of Joyce J. Scott’s 2018 exhibition entitled Harriet Tubman and Other Truths at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J. The Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis is honored to be the new temporary home of the sculpture. See “Araminta with Rifle and Vévé” through September 30, 2023.
For more about historic Annapolis see: Visit Historic Annapolis with Kids