Voyage in Chains

Voyage in Chains is composed of old rusted metal tools —shovel, pitchfork, pickax heads, and a hoe—held together by chains. A crucifix, American flag and metal ship are also among the assembled parts, all sprouting from an old wooden chair. Minter began making art in order to put a message...that could heal the wounds everywhere.” This piece is one of many has has made about the enslavement of African people in the United States. His work is driven by his desire to tell stories through the careful juxtaposition of objects, which grew from his epic construction of his African Village in America, ” a quarter-acre, densely packed sculptural environment built around his home that he began in 1989.