Date and Time
Monday Oct 4, 2021 Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Location
The Harriet Tubman "Journey To Freedom," traveling sculpture will be located at the Bridge Park in Sylva, N.C. from mid-September until mid-December.
Description
The 2,400-pound bronze piece depicts Harriet Tubman leading a young girl out of slavery. The statue arrived on Sunday, Sept. 19. Titled “Harriet Tubman: Journey to Freedom,” the piece was originally commissioned for a private building in Dallas, Texas, with Franklin, N.C., native Jada Bryson modeling Tubman as Wofford worked. When photos of the sculpture went viral, Wofford made a copy so that more people could experience the piece. It’s spent the last year touring the country, and its stop in Sylva will extend through Dec. 20 thanks to fundraising and organizational efforts from the NAACP.
Funding for the statue’s stay in Sylva came from the Dogwood Health Trust, with the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center acting as the 501(c)3 agency to handle the money — the Jackson NAACP is a 501(c)4, so not directly eligible under the grant terms. The town provided the sculpture’s location, installation and security, with marketing and publicity support from the town, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority.