Betty was recently invited, and awarded a grant by the Vanderbilt University Curb Center, to be a participating artist in The Art Of Healing Exposition. 

Beth Herrig Volz, Martha Morales-Purucker, Alfred Turney III, and Betty worked like maniacs creating an incredible public art sculpture that was presented at the “Black On Buchanan Juneteenth Celebration,” June 19th.

The sculpture depicts two children standing on a quilt composed of quilt blocks with symbols for freedom and safety, associated with the Underground Railroad. 

Both children are holding a heart between them. The heart will have the North Star, made of glass, mounted inside it. They each are holding music notes in their hands, a nod to the important role music has always played in the culture as a healing balm, a celebration and a staple on religious practices. The children’s clothing will have quilt blocks as small patches in the fabric, along with Adinkra Symbols to acknowledge their African heritage. The symbols are each made of kiln- cast glass and mosaic tile.  There will also be glass Railroad tracks incorporated in the quilt. 

By celebrating the Emancipation, the goal is to allow the public to help in the mosaicing of the piece, while also recognizing their ancestors who were the victims of enslavement. Each person who stops by during the event will be allowed to write the name of an ancestor on the tile they choose to install, before it is permanently cemented to the bodies of the statues. 

This act will allow each individual to create a living tribute to those who came before and paved the way for a brighter future for the coming generations. Say their names, Honor their memory!