FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM MURAL

By: Shelley McKinley The latest public art installment entitled, ‘From Slavery to Freedom,’ was co-created by Bimbo Adenugba and Victor Ash, and is featured on the side of the building at 1310 Preston St., which was formerly the Cotton Exchange of Houston. Cotton is symbolic of slavery in the United States for most descendants of the enslaved, so when looking at the mural from left to right it is the representation of the African continent with the map and elephants, where enslaved people came from, to the larger depiction of Harriet Tubman, who led many of the enslaved people to freedom in the northern states of the USA. As Adenugba explained, “Th e two murals are actually unified, and features an arrow of freedom.” “First you formulate the idea and look at the space available. You design based upon the space,” explained Adenugba. ‘From Slavery to Freedom’ is on a brown building with lots of windows. The design incorporated the windows, and used the color of the building to accentuate Harriet Tubman’s skin tone. The wall, therefore, is a part of the design. This is not Adenugba’s first mural. He collaborated with Reginald Adams and other creative artists on public...