Journey on the Underground Railroad: An Artist’s Vision

AT THE MUSEUM Journey on the Underground Railroad: An Artist’s Vision

There are many ways to travel. As a museum director, I often feel that every exhibition we stage provides some kind of excursion — a sort of intellectual time travel, or in the case of contemporary artists responding to issues of the day, an imaginative journey into someone else’s creative process.

This fall’s exhibition at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts offers both types of transport. “Color in Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad” is Maryland artist Joseph Holston’s (b. 1944) powerful vision of the journey from enslavement to freedom — beginning in Africa, through capture, to the dangers of escape, and ultimately freedom. “Color in Freedom” opens Sept. 23 and continues through Jan. 14, 2023.

Archaeologist and historian Cheryl LaRoche described the Underground Railroad as “a systematic, interracial, cooperative method of aiding escaping slaves.” The term “railroad” is used metaphorically – as the network of aid relied on many methods, secret routes and safe houses to help bring enslaved African Americans to safety in free states or Canada.

Perhaps what this exhibition shows us best is how art helps us process experiences (even historic ones) and understand others. It’s impossible to view these dramatic canvases and the story they tell without feeling deeply moved. Arranged in four movements (akin to musical compositions) and with titles of works such as “Subjugation,” “Unbearable Loss,” “Dawn of Despair,” “Specter of the Hunt,” “After Harriet,” “Sun Warms the Freemen” and “Jubilation,” the viewer moves, canvas by canvas, along the harrowing journey.

Holston has a distinct style. His painting “Jazz at Tacoma Station” is a favorite in the museum’s permanent collection. He works with recognizable figurative imagery, but uses color and abstraction to create dynamic, powerful compositions. The same style is evident in the more than 50 works that make up “Color in Freedom.”

Holston conceived of the entire exhibition as embodying the struggle for freedom, and the paintings — as individual works and as a group — demonstrate the power of the

Joseph Holston

Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), The Quarters, 2008. Mixed media Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), Unbearable Loss, 2008. Mixed media

Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), Dawn of Despair, 2008. Acrylic on canvas.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), After Harriet, 2008. Mixed media

Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), Jubilation, 2008. Mixed media Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), Sun Warms the Freemen, 2008. Mixed media

Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), Subjugation, 2008. Mixed media Joseph Holston (American, b. 1944), Spectre of the Hunt, 2008. Mixed media artist to leverage his imagination, creativity and empathy to activate ours. His masterful use of color, simplification and exaggeration of form, powerful lines and rhythmic compositions all serve the narrative and vividly demonstrate how art can be used to tell complex stories.

There’s difficult material addressed in the exhibition. The brutal story of slavery includes torture, rape and families ripped apart. Although none of the work is explicit, parents should be aware of some of the content before viewing it with children.

Ultimately, however, the journey through adversity leads us to hope, and the exhibition moves from tribulation to joy. We’re working with that concept in the exhibition design, as well. Visitors will move from more constricted spaces with darker colors to more open spaces with lighter colors, echoing the metaphors employed by Holston within the paintings.

Exhibition visitors will progress through the four movements in a chronology that moves from the first movement, “The Unknown World through Living in Bondage,” to “Journey of Escape” and “Color in Freedom.”

The exhibition celebrates survival and tenacity – and imagination. The main journey visitors take in the display is empathic – the artist takes us on a visual journey, but we also gain a different kind of experience of history than we would from reading a book. We hope visitors will leave understanding the story of the Underground Railroad in a different, more personal way.

For some visitors, this will be an introduction to the content, while others might gain a new layer of understanding.

The Underground Railroad is a significant part of our local history because there are several important sites connected to it right in Hagerstown and the surrounding area. The museum received support from the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area to explore these local connections through walking tours, talks and other educational programs. Check our website for details at wcmfa.org.

At the museum, be prepared to take your own emotional journey. Through color, composition and Holston’s distinct visual style, you’ll leave with a new appreciation for the sacrifices and tenacity of the enslaved, and the role artists play in helping us engage in important conversations about our lives, our histories and our present.

Sarah J. Hall is executive director of Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Mondays and major holidays. Visit the museum’s website at wcmfa.org, or find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.