MAP TO FREEDOM

BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE

 

Budget: $800

Size: 48 sq ft

Date: 2016

Collaborator: Lawanda Baker

 

Map to Freedom was designed for Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as three sequential panels read from left to right. The squares are an homage to the African American tradition of quilt-making. The serpentine blue line directly references the Alabama River where the historic women of Gee's Bend created their masterful geometric quilts. Map to Freedom is about the condition of constriction to openness; enslavement to emancipation. Through this work, we convey our gratitude to the women of Gee's Bend for their creativity, intelligence, and guidance. Through their art and understanding of nature they manifested the true spirit of freedom.