ALEXANDRIA, LA鈥擳he Alexandria Museum of Art announces a ribbon cutting and reception to celebrate the temporary installation of the Solomon Northup commemorative bronze statue 鈥淗ope Out of Darkness鈥� on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
The statue, created by Wesley Wofford, is traveling along Northup鈥檚 path this year to raise awareness and funds for its permanent installation. Commissioned by The Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative Works, it will ultimately be installed at the Marksville Courthouse where Northup gained his freedom. Wofford gained notoriety for his monuments after creating 鈥淗arriet Tubman: Beacon of Hope鈥� installed in Cambridge, Maryland, just a few miles from where she was born.
Founded in the summer of 2022 by Reverend James Theus, the committee is a cross-section of people from communities in central Louisiana as well as in Northup鈥檚 native New York. Committee members include President, Allen Holmes; Founder and Vice President, Rev. James G. Theus; Legal Advisor, Charles Riddle III, Esq.; Secretary, Nealie Hale; Project Manager, Melissa Howell (a direct descendent of Northup); Executive Director of Avoyelles Commission of Tourism, Wilbert Carmouche; LA District 28 House Representative, Hon. Daryl Deshotel; Founder of Marksville Main Street, Jacques Goudeau; LA District 26 House Representative, Hon. Ed Larvadain III; and Member, Larry Wilmer.
The committee鈥檚 mission is to create the opportunity for all persons who encounter Wofford鈥檚 statue of Solomon Northup to experience a profound, even visceral response, to the depravity of slavery in all forms and places, past and present, through the transformative 鈥淥ut of Darkness鈥� for a renewed life of freedom again. They seek to honor the native New Yorker鈥檚 life and work, who was wrongfully enslaved as a free citizen in the Red River region of Louisiana, rescued, and later authored the written work, Twelve Years A Slave.
The statue comes to AMoA from the Whitney Plantation and will travel after its stay in Alexandria to Haverstraw, NY, and Saratoga Springs, NY. 鈥淗ope Out of Darkness鈥� will be on view at the Alexandria Museum of Art until April 22.
To assist with the cost of the permanent installation, donate to The Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative Works at .
Wesley Wofford, FNSS - Artist鈥檚 Statement
As the viewer sees 鈥淗ope Out of Darkness鈥� from a distance, the sculpture emanates a free American citizen, leading the way to a more equitable future with a raised torch. But as one moves closer and experiences the sculpture in the round, the viewer will discover the pathos and tragedy of Solomon Northup鈥檚 story. They will realize he was in fact kidnapped, enslaved, and eventually liberated after twelve horrific, long years. The viewer will empathize with Northup鈥檚 pain and feel his courageous endurance that led a wrongfully enslaved man to freedom once again.
The papers in Solomon Northup鈥檚 upraised hand represent many things, such as the papers required to be held by black Americans to move about the country, the letters sent north in an effort to free Northup, the legal documents written to free him, and his own memoir. They also represent black American stories purged from the history books, education, and the elevation of all citizens through knowledge.
The manacles in Northup鈥檚 opposite hand represent his time in captivity and the indignities he and many others suffered during long years of enslavement. Northup has escaped these shackles through perseverance, and they no longer bind him, but instead, he holds them and will use them to help break the chains for others. As viewers move around the piece, they will discover his scarred back, illustrating how he was beaten until his clothes were tattered rags. These scars will be with him for the rest of his life, and they represent not shame, but endurance. One of his shoes is worn through and dangling, taken directly from his memoir 鈥� 鈥淏esides, I had lost one shoe, the sole having come entirely off, leaving the upper only dangling to my ankle鈥�.
The pedestal Northup is standing on is split to represent the duality of his life. He is courageously rising up from enslavement with a posture of triumph and struggle. The engraved side is rusted corten steel, formal but not perfect, and represents the thin veneer of his precious freedom. On the other side, craggy and difficult, Northup rises from the mire, surrounded by the struggle of those who never attained freedom. Within the mud are 12 actual handprints of men, women, and children from across the country- each representing personal stories of resilience and the ongoing fight for equality.
鈥淗ope Out of the Darkness鈥� stands as a reminder that our freedoms are rooted in uncomfortable truths we must continually face. Solomon Northup鈥檚 steadfast perseverance will echo for generations inspiring others to overcome their own struggles no matter how insurmountable they may appear.
Contact
Olivia Helmer
Curator
318-443-3458
olivia@themuseum.org