The Traveling Exhibition: Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hope (Cape May, New Jersey)
Dublin Core
Title
The Traveling Exhibition: Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hope (Cape May, New Jersey)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Antislavery movements--United States
Enslaved persons--Emancipation
Freedom
New Jersey--Cape Mary
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad
Antislavery movements--United States
Enslaved persons--Emancipation
Freedom
New Jersey--Cape Mary
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad
Subject (Name)
Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913
Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913
Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
A bronze sculpture of Harriet Tubman stands firmly atop an oxen yoke. She stares into the eyes of the viewer, offering a golden key. Her right hand is raised, encircled by a rose compass—both adorned in gold leaf. Underneath the yoke lie countless chains and shackles, some open, others closed. The base features inscriptions on the front and back, bearing her name and the title of the work. In many of the cities, the monument is accompanied by a plaque featuring a quote by Harriet Tubman and Wesley Wofford’s artist statement.
Created in 2023, the monument was designed to travel across the United States. Since then, it has been displayed at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center in Cape May, New Jersey (2023); the Government Office Building in Salisbury, Maryland (2023-2024); City Hall Plaza in Rahway, New Jersey (2024); the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (2024); the corner of Central Avenue and North Division Street in Peekskill, New York (2024); and the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, New York (2024), with more locations planned in 2024 and beyond.
For the sake of clarity, CMSP has decided to document this monument only once, based on the information from its initial showing.
Created in 2023, the monument was designed to travel across the United States. Since then, it has been displayed at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center in Cape May, New Jersey (2023); the Government Office Building in Salisbury, Maryland (2023-2024); City Hall Plaza in Rahway, New Jersey (2024); the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (2024); the corner of Central Avenue and North Division Street in Peekskill, New York (2024); and the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, New York (2024), with more locations planned in 2024 and beyond.
For the sake of clarity, CMSP has decided to document this monument only once, based on the information from its initial showing.
Creator
Wofford, Wesley, 1972-
Source
Photograph by Frank Scott, Delaware River & Bay Authority
Date
September 1, 2023
Rights
Wesley Wofford, Wofford Sculpture Studio, P.O. Box 2927, Cashiers, North Carolina 28717, United States
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
101 Lehigh Ave, Cape May Point, New Jersey, 08212, United States
Has Part
Inscription on the front of the base:
THE BEACON OF HOPE
Inscription on the back of the base:
HARRIET TUBMAN
Beside the monument, a plaque reads:
HARRIET TUBMAN - THE BEACON OF HOPE
"I WAS THE CONDUCTOR OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND I CAN SAY WHAT MOST CONDUCTORS CAN'T SAY—I NEVER RAN MY TRAIN OFF THE TRACK AND I NEVER LOST A PASSENGER."
— HARRIET TUBMAN
Artist Statement - Wesley Wofford, FNSS
"HARRIET TUBMAN-THE BEACON OF HOPE DEPICTS THE TRANSFORMATION OF TUBMAN FROM HER DIFFICULT ORIGINS TO BECOMING A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND AN AMERICAN ICON. SHE IS A FREE WOMAN REACHING DOWN WITH AN ENCOURAGING HAND TO THE VIEWER, AND UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, THE VIEWER DISCOVERS A GOLDEN KEY IN HER HAND. THIS "GENERATIONAL KEY" INSPIRES VIEWERS TO REACH WITHIN THEMSELVES TO UNLOCK THE INNER STRENGTH TO FORGE THEIR OWN DESTINY JUST AS TUBMAN DID. THE OXEN YOKE IS A METAPHOR FOR THE YOKE OF SLAVERY AND SHE CRUSHES THIS BROKEN OBSTACLE TO THE POINT OF SNAPPING IT. IT ALSO ILLUSTRATES THE LEGENDARY STORY OF YOUNG ARAMINTA SINGLE HANDEDLY STEERING A TEAM OF OXEN FOR HER FATHER. THE PILED SHACKLES AND CHAINS DEPICT ALL OF THE LIVES ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THE SCOURGE OF SLAVERY. THE OPEN SHACKLES REPRESENT THOSE FREED BY TUBMAN AND OTHERS ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, WHILE THE LOCKED ONES DEPICT THOSE NOT LIBERATED UNTIL AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. THE CLOSED MANACLES ALSO SYMBOLIZE THE UNFINISHED WORK AHEAD OF US ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVING A JUST AND EQUITABLE FUTURE FOR ALL. WHILE TUBMAN USED THE NORTH STAR TO NAVIGATE OUT OF BONDAGE, SHE THEN BECAME THE COMPASS ROSE TO THE THOUSANDS OF ENSLAVED WHO FOLLOWED HER GUIDING LIGHT TO FREEDOM.
THE BEACON OF HOPE IS A MONUMENT THAT TELLS HARRIET TUBMAN'S STORY, SO THAT ALL MAY LEARN FROM IT; THAT AMPLIFIES HER MESSAGE OF EQUALITY, SO THAT ALL MAY HEAR IT; AND THAT CHRONICLES HER JOURNEY, WITH THE HOPE THAT WE ALL FIND THE INSPIRATION AND THE COURAGE TO WALK IN HER FOOTSTEPS."
THE BEACON OF HOPE
Inscription on the back of the base:
HARRIET TUBMAN
Beside the monument, a plaque reads:
HARRIET TUBMAN - THE BEACON OF HOPE
"I WAS THE CONDUCTOR OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND I CAN SAY WHAT MOST CONDUCTORS CAN'T SAY—I NEVER RAN MY TRAIN OFF THE TRACK AND I NEVER LOST A PASSENGER."
— HARRIET TUBMAN
Artist Statement - Wesley Wofford, FNSS
"HARRIET TUBMAN-THE BEACON OF HOPE DEPICTS THE TRANSFORMATION OF TUBMAN FROM HER DIFFICULT ORIGINS TO BECOMING A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM AND AN AMERICAN ICON. SHE IS A FREE WOMAN REACHING DOWN WITH AN ENCOURAGING HAND TO THE VIEWER, AND UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, THE VIEWER DISCOVERS A GOLDEN KEY IN HER HAND. THIS "GENERATIONAL KEY" INSPIRES VIEWERS TO REACH WITHIN THEMSELVES TO UNLOCK THE INNER STRENGTH TO FORGE THEIR OWN DESTINY JUST AS TUBMAN DID. THE OXEN YOKE IS A METAPHOR FOR THE YOKE OF SLAVERY AND SHE CRUSHES THIS BROKEN OBSTACLE TO THE POINT OF SNAPPING IT. IT ALSO ILLUSTRATES THE LEGENDARY STORY OF YOUNG ARAMINTA SINGLE HANDEDLY STEERING A TEAM OF OXEN FOR HER FATHER. THE PILED SHACKLES AND CHAINS DEPICT ALL OF THE LIVES ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THE SCOURGE OF SLAVERY. THE OPEN SHACKLES REPRESENT THOSE FREED BY TUBMAN AND OTHERS ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, WHILE THE LOCKED ONES DEPICT THOSE NOT LIBERATED UNTIL AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. THE CLOSED MANACLES ALSO SYMBOLIZE THE UNFINISHED WORK AHEAD OF US ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVING A JUST AND EQUITABLE FUTURE FOR ALL. WHILE TUBMAN USED THE NORTH STAR TO NAVIGATE OUT OF BONDAGE, SHE THEN BECAME THE COMPASS ROSE TO THE THOUSANDS OF ENSLAVED WHO FOLLOWED HER GUIDING LIGHT TO FREEDOM.
THE BEACON OF HOPE IS A MONUMENT THAT TELLS HARRIET TUBMAN'S STORY, SO THAT ALL MAY LEARN FROM IT; THAT AMPLIFIES HER MESSAGE OF EQUALITY, SO THAT ALL MAY HEAR IT; AND THAT CHRONICLES HER JOURNEY, WITH THE HOPE THAT WE ALL FIND THE INSPIRATION AND THE COURAGE TO WALK IN HER FOOTSTEPS."
Has Version
Wesley Wofford made a permanent version of this monument, bearing the same name. Located in front of the Dorchester County Courthouse in Cambridge, Maryland, the permanent monument includes a figure of young Araminta Ross beside Harriet Tubman. See Beacon of Hope: Harriet Tubman Monument in this database.
Extent
156 in. (396.24 cm)
Medium
Bronze
Bibliographic Citation
Wofford, Wesley. “Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hopw - Wofford Sculpture Studio.” Accessed August 13, 2024. https://www.woffordsculpturestudio.com/exhibitions/harriet-tubman-the-beacon-of-hope.
"Beacon of Hope Sculpture." Cape May Point Arts and Science Center. https://www.capemaypointsciencecenter.org/beacon-of-hope-sculpture.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
156 in. (396.24 cm)
Collection
Citation
Wofford, Wesley, 1972-, “The Traveling Exhibition: Harriet Tubman - The Beacon of Hope (Cape May, New Jersey),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1246.