• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Wesley Wofford's statue honoring Harriet Tubman, "The Journey to Freedom," is displayed in Philadelphia in January 2022.

Award-Winning Artist Loses Huge Commission to Sculpt Harriet Tubman Over Color of His Skin

September 3, 2023
Democrat Faces Ethics Probes For Allegedly Misusing Congressional Funds

Democrat Faces Ethics Probes For Allegedly Misusing Congressional Funds

May 30, 2025
Comedian Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to Rape, Sexual Assault 

Comedian Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty to Rape, Sexual Assault 

May 30, 2025
Supreme Court Gives Trump Admin Go Ahead To Revoke Biden-Era Parole Status For Nearly 500,000 Migrants

Supreme Court Gives Trump Admin Go Ahead To Revoke Biden-Era Parole Status For Nearly 500,000 Migrants

May 30, 2025
STEPHEN MOORE: Why Are Trump’s Regulators Fighting A War On Coal?

STEPHEN MOORE: Why Are Trump’s Regulators Fighting A War On Coal?

May 30, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: Planned Parenthood Used Your Tax Dollars To Train Educators That Biological Sex Is A ‘Myth’ 

EXCLUSIVE: Planned Parenthood Used Your Tax Dollars To Train Educators That Biological Sex Is A ‘Myth’ 

May 30, 2025
Middle East Power Player Reportedly Told Iran To Take Trump’s Nuclear Deal

Middle East Power Player Reportedly Told Iran To Take Trump’s Nuclear Deal

May 30, 2025
Federal Authorities Investigating Effort to Impersonate White House Chief of Staff

Federal Authorities Investigating Effort to Impersonate White House Chief of Staff

May 30, 2025
‘Endangering Americans’: Trump Admin Posts List Of Sanctuary Cities It Will Target

‘Endangering Americans’: Trump Admin Posts List Of Sanctuary Cities It Will Target

May 30, 2025
‘He Was Chased Out’: MSNBC Guest Gloats About Elon Musk’s Departure From Trump White House

‘He Was Chased Out’: MSNBC Guest Gloats About Elon Musk’s Departure From Trump White House

May 30, 2025
Trump Says Friday Is Elon Musk’s ‘Last Day, but Not Really’

Trump Says Friday Is Elon Musk’s ‘Last Day, but Not Really’

May 30, 2025
Scott Bessent Warns Of ‘Ultimate Calamity’ If Congress Fails To Act On Debt And Growth

Scott Bessent Warns Of ‘Ultimate Calamity’ If Congress Fails To Act On Debt And Growth

May 30, 2025
Defense Intelligence Agency Employee Charged With Trying To Send Classified Data To Foreign Government

Defense Intelligence Agency Employee Charged With Trying To Send Classified Data To Foreign Government

May 29, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Friday, May 30, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Award-Winning Artist Loses Huge Commission to Sculpt Harriet Tubman Over Color of His Skin

by Western Journal
September 3, 2023 at 10:07 am
in News
237 15
0
Wesley Wofford's statue honoring Harriet Tubman, "The Journey to Freedom," is displayed in Philadelphia in January 2022.

Wesley Wofford's statue honoring Harriet Tubman, "The Journey to Freedom," is displayed in Philadelphia in January 2022. (@trip_micali / X screen shot)

491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

After a white sculptor’s work depicting Harriet Tubman received rave reviews, Philadelphia hired him to do another piece that would be on permanent display.

But after complaints that the artist should not be white, Wesley Wofford was given the boot, according to The New York Times, which noted that the five designs currently being considered instead of his are all the works of black artists.

“Art is supposed to be a universal language that transcends gender, race and culture,” Wofford said.

In 2017, Wofford designed a statue of Tubman after getting a private commission. He made a traveling version of the statue called “Journey to Freedom.” The statue made it to 17 cities and was in Philadelphia from January to March 2022.

Wesley Wofford’s “Harriet Tubman – The Journey to Freedom”, originally displayed at the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Pavilion in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2020.

(pic is from Philadelphia) pic.twitter.com/sbBo6q5GoE

— Trip Micali (@trip_micali) January 15, 2023

The statue was a hit, noted Kelly Lee, executive director of the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

Unable to buy the traveling statue, the city wanted to pay Wofford $500,000 to design a permanent Tubman statue.

Then came public meetings where the choice of a white man was denounced.

“As an artist, it’s hurtful, and it is traumatizing,” textile artist Dee Jones said in June 2022, according to Art Forum. “If it was an open call and Wesley was chosen, it would be fine. But because the process wasn’t open, that’s the big issue.”

Wofford said he was marginalized.

“I didn’t have much of a voice,” he said, according to the Times. “No one wanted to hear from me.”

Some of Tubman’s descendants support  him, putting out a statement that said, “Harriet Tubman worked with people of all races who were like-minded, and Mr. Wofford is like-minded. Harriet Tubman stood for people of all races.”

But in the end, Wofford’s commission was revoked, and in August 2022, the city issued an open call.

Wofford did not enter but said he would provide a larger version of “Journey to Freedom” at cost if no other option worked.

Lee insisted race was not a criterion for making it to the semifinals. The public weighed in voting that ended Friday. The final decision will come in October.

Tanda Francis, one of the finalists, said it was only right a black person gets the commission.

“She’s an ancestor,” Francis said. “We should be telling our story.”

Wofford told CNN that race should not be an exclusionary factor.

“The task ahead of us regarding under representation in public spaces is so huge that every living, working artist needs to be working on it. It is not that only black artists should be sculpting black subjects. I think that we all need to get there together,” he said.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

Tags: ArtPennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaraceU.S. News
Do you agree the decision to cancel his commission was race based?

Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Yes: 89% (67 Votes)
No: 11% (8 Votes)
Share196Tweet123
Western Journal

Western Journal

IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR