Artists wanted to respond to 'Freedom' in Ulster County

Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in Ulster County in 1798. She was bought and sold four times as a teenager, subjected to harsh physical labor and violent punishments. In 1827, she ran away to a nearby abolitionist family who bought her freedom for $20. Afterwards, Truth “became an outspoken advocate for abolition, temperance, and civil and women’s rights in the nineteenth century. Her Civil War work earned her an invitation to meet President Abraham Lincoln in 1864.”

This week, the City of Kingston, in partnership with SUNY New Paltz, will unveil the installation of sculptor Trina Greene’s Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom statue, which will be on display in City Hall from September 28, 2024 through August 2025. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024 from 5-8pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. The program will feature renowned actress Aixa Kendrick portraying Sojourner Truth, the Center for Creative Education dancers and drummers, Ulster County Poet Laureate Kate Hymes, and more. Light refreshments will be provided by Tilda’s Kitchen and Market. The opening reception is free and open to all.

Also during the reception, original court documents will be on display outlining the story of Sojourner Truth returning to Ulster County to secure the freedom of her 5-year-old son, Peter, who had been illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama. “With the help of local attorneys, she filed a Habeas Corpus Petition in the Ulster County Courthouse in March of 1828. She ultimately prevailed on the petition for her son’s freedom, marking the first time in American history that a Black woman sued a white man and won.”

According to the artist Trina Greene, the Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom sculpture depicts Truth’s first steps towards freedom: “the moment she is about to step over the threshold of her last slave owner, John Dumont. It is almost dawn. She is carrying her youngest child, Sophia, who is barely awake, and a small bundle of possessions. A broken mug and clay pipe are on the floor behind her – symbols of male domination. Denied manumission for a year by Dumont, she declared that she ‘walked’ to freedom: ‘I did not run.’ Butterflies on the base symbolize freedom. “

The Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom statue can be viewed at Kingston City hall during regular business hours, Monday to Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm, from September 30, 2024, until August 2025 or by appointment.

After the initial installation in Kingston, the piece will then be installed at the Newburgh Free Library. After its tour, the statue will be permanently installed on the SUNY New Paltz campus.

“This journey honors Sojourner Truth’s chosen name. As an itinerate 18th century preacher, abolitionist, feminist and mother, Sojourner Truth traveled across the country sharing her truth,” said SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler. “We also honor her commitment to education by eventually installing the sculpture at an institution of higher learning and through more than 50 years as the namesake of our campus library.”

Local artists wanted to respond to ‘Freedom’

In conjunction with the installation of Greene’s Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom, local artists are invited to submit work that “celebrates and visually represents Sojourner Truth’s legacy as a champion for freedom, justice, and women’s rights.”

Selected works will be displayed in the ground floor gallery space at City Hall from December 2024 to August 2025. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024. 

Artists are invited to submit an artwork in response to the theme “Freedom” via the online application or via the Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs, 420 Broadway, Kingston, NY, 12401 by October 25, 2024 at 4:30pm. Works will be selected by a review panel comprised of members of the Kingston Arts Commission and the Kingston arts community. Additional information on submission requirements is available at https://www.kingston-ny.gov/exhibitions.

More information about Sojourner Truth: First Step to Freedom can be found here: https://engagekingston.com/sojourner-truth-first-step-to-freedom.