Underground Railroad Art Exhibit Unveiled in Amherst

An exhibit reflecting faith, hope, and courage is being unveiled in Amherst today, Feb. 16, to commemorate African Heritage Month.

Connections 2007 -- The Road to Freedom depicts the story of the enslaved, and the journey to freedom in Canada via The Underground Railroad, through paintings, artifacts, poetry and song.

The exhibit is the result of a six-month program with ArtsSmarts Nova Scotia and the Cumberland County School of the Arts Society.

ArtsSmarts is a national program that targets students from primary to high school and provides workshops with the local artists around diversity, culture and race.

"It was important for the office to be involved in a youth initiative for African Heritage Month," said Wayn Hamilton, CEO of the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs. "The ArtsSmarts program encourages youth to express themselves and explore history in fun and interesting ways, and it was a pleasure working with artist Darlene Strong and her group in Amherst."

Students attended classes two times a week and learned African Nova Scotian history from guest artists.

Connection 2007 was the idea of Ms. Strong, a local artist and program co-ordinator. "The Underground Railroad represented the road to freedom for many enslaved black people from the United States. The route led to various points in Canada," said Strong. "The journey was dangerous, but the victory over slavery was sweet. The words 'Let Freedom Reign' continue to echo down the corridors of time and in our school in this exhibit."

The living exhibit will be unveiled at 2 p.m. at the Cornerstone Cultural Academy, 26 Crescent Dr., Amherst. It will be available for viewing, by appointment, for the rest of the month.