North Star: The Journey to Freedom

Artist’s Statement:

The mural image depicts red, white, and blue eight-pointed stars, with a highlighted one in the middle, surrounded by a dark blue star pattern. This mural references African American quilts, which often embedded directions for those escaping slavery on how to reach the free states and Canada. The North Star was a common motif to aid with navigation. This design also celebrates the bond of the Union as a whole, because if it weren’t for the internal revolution that occurred in the 19th century that insisted the Declaration of Independence’s words about equality be taken at face value, the United States would not exist today as a place where civil rights for all are fought for.