mural Archives - Harriet Tubman Byway

6 02, 2024

Tubman Museum unveils ‘in-the-round’ mural, “Minty’s Act of Courage”

Jill Jasuta2024-02-06T18:29:52-05:00

“Take My Hand” Mural by Michael Rosato at the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cambridge, MD.

The Harriet Tubman Museum & Education Center (Stop #6 on the Tubman Byway) has unveiled its newest mural, “Minty’s Act of Courage,” featuring a site of great significance in Tubman’s life. Created by artist Michael Rosato, the mural – painted on all four walls of the room – captures views from the Bucktown General Store (Stop #18 on the Tubman Byway). This site is where Tubman had her first act of defiance as a young girl – and where she nearly lost her life. The artist is the same one who created the famous “Take My Hand” mural (pictured here), also at the Tubman Museum. This small museum has been run by dedicated volunteers for decades and is located in downtown Cambridge, Maryland at 424 Race St.

Tubman Museum unveils ‘in-the-round’ mural, “Minty’s Act of Courage”Jill Jasuta2024-02-06T18:29:52-05:00

29 06, 2019

New Harriet Tubman mural in Cambridge goes viral

Jill Jasuta2019-07-25T14:42:56-04:00

A new mural featuring a powerful image of Harriet Tubman has just been finished and is attracting attention from around the country, with some people moved to tears. On the side of the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center (Stop #5 on the Tubman Byway road trip), the mural shows Tubman with her hand outstretched, beckoning the viewer to join her on a journey to freedom. The mural, “Take My Hand,” was painted by Michael Rosato, an artist who lives in Dorchester County, Maryland, where Tubman was born and lived in slavery for more than 25 years. Rosato’s work is nationally known; his paintings are featured in major museum exhibits, stadiums, corporate offices, and private residences around the country.

A post featuring a photo of the mural and a little girl reaching out to touch Tubman’s hand (taken by local shopkeepers at Maiden Maryland), went viral on social media, with thousands of people moved, some to tears, by the powerful image. Major media outlets picked up on the story. The photo appeared twice in one week on the Today Show.

In an interview with a viewer, Rosato talked about what he is trying to convey through this mural. “The inspiration comes from that moment when a slave has to make a decision to go,” he said. “This incredibly strong and compassionate woman is about to offer that hand for that freedom. And I thought, how do I capture that moment where it all happens, when the risk was taken to run from the slave owner, to a woman taking a risk to bring you through to the other side. This is that special moment when the hand is being offered. She has to be compassionate, but has to assert a certain authority.”

Prints of the mural on archival paper or canvas are now available through the artist at harriettubmanmural.com, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Tubman Museum, Alpha Genesis, and Dorchester Center for the Arts (the nonprofit organizations who made the mural possible).

The mural was commissioned by the Dorchester Center for the Arts for the 50th Anniversary of the Maryland State Arts Council. It is a partnership project between Dorchester Center for the Arts, Alpha Genesis CDC, The Maryland State Arts Council, and the Harriet Tubman Organization, with additional support from Downtown Cambridge. As public art it represents a gift to the people of Cambridge, Dorchester County, and beyond.

Rosato also painted Tubman as part of a mural celebrating local African-American heritage; that mural is located at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Route 50 in Cambridge. His murals of other local topics are also located around Dorchester County as part of the Chesapeake Country Mural Trail. A new audio guide cell phone app featuring this new mural and other Rosato mural was released June 1. Learn more about the audio guide.

The Tubman Museum & Educational Center, located at 424 Race Street in Cambridge, MD, is run completely by dedicated volunteers who have been working hard to share Tubman’s legacy for decades. The museum includes exhibits about Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Hours are 12-3pm Tuesday through Friday, and 12-4pm on Saturdays. For more information, call the museum at 410-228-0401. The museum is also the site of some of the events during the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Conference, May 31-June 1.

New Harriet Tubman mural in Cambridge goes viralJill Jasuta2019-07-25T14:42:56-04:00

14 07, 2017

Harriet Tubman featured in new mural in Cambridge

Jill Jasuta2017-09-09T07:42:24-04:00

Harriet Tubman is featured in a new mural near the corner of Maryland Avenue and Route 50 in Cambridge, Maryland. The mural is the newest in a series of murals in Dorchester County, Maryland, where Tubman was born into slavery around 1822.

The mural highlights Cambridge’s rich African-American history, culture and heritage, particularly in the community around Pine Street, which is one of the oldest African-American communities in the country. The 11-foot-by-48-foot mural was created by artist Michael Rosato, whose studio is in downtown Cambridge. Rosato’s work is featured in museums, public spaces and private residences across the country.

The mural includes some of Dorchester’s most well-known citizens — Harriet Tubman, the most famous “conductor” of the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s, and Gloria Richardson Dandridge, a key figure in the civil rights movement in the 1960s — as well as ordinary citizens such as a bricklayer, a barber, and a baker.

“At the center of the mural is Harriet Tubman, who is a symbol of courage, hard work, perseverance, and loyalty to her family and community,” said the mural artist, Michael Rosato. “Everything radiates out from her, from her heart and center.”

The mural is just the beginning of a larger plan to design and develop this corner, which is being considered the “gateway” to Cambridge’s downtown area.

The mural was funded through a grant from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority and the Federal Highway Administration, and is one of a series of murals throughout Dorchester County that are part of the Chesapeake Country Mural Trail. Find out more about the mural trail.

Harriet Tubman featured in new mural in CambridgeJill Jasuta2017-09-09T07:42:24-04:00