In God’s Voice: A Celebration of the Spirituality of Harriet Tubman

Syracuse artist Vanessa Johnson focuses on Harriet Tubman’s faith in her exhibit In God’s Voice: A Celebration of the Spirituality of Harriet Tubman. The exhibit is part of the Emerging Artists project and will be on display in both the Schweinfurth Art Center and the Cayuga Museum of History & Art.

Johnson will exhibit quilts and fiber artworks that address Tubman’s spirituality and faith: her use of nature to guide her path as she freed enslaved people; her blackouts, in which she said God spoke to her; and her faith in the allies, both Black and white, who supported her rescues.

The title is taken from a quote by abolitionist Thomas Garrett, who supported many of Tubman’s journeys to free enslaved people. Tubman frequently used Garrett’s stop along the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. “I never met with any person, of any color, who had more confidence in the voice of God, as spoken direct to her soul … and her faith in a Supreme Power truly was great,” Garrett said.

Johnson is a griot, a traditional West African storyteller who is responsible for accurately reciting historical events that affect society or a specific community through song, speech, reenactment, screenwriting, and musical composition.

She tells traditional tales from Africa, African-American culture, and the African Diaspora; tales of social justice, including the enslaved and abolitionists who fought against slavery in the United States, women’s rights activists, and civil rights activists; and biographical tales of living as an African-American woman in the United States and Ghana.

She also performs with her storytelling band, Matie Masie, which is Twi for “I listen, I understand.”

Artwork by Vanessa Johnson

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