Old Ark's A Moverin' and I'm Goin' Home

ca. 1939

Color lithograph

10” x 14”

This lithograph, entitled The Old Ark’s A’Moverin’ , represents the perilous and ongoing challenges that people of color endured. 

The ark shown represents a safe haven for the underrepresented and disenfranchised as they go through life’s journey on the way to Heaven.  For the enslaved individuals in America and their descendents on the Eastern Shore, Heaven was not feared or resisted. Instead, Heaven was a place of refuge to - at last - find justice and freedom. The turbulent water through which the ark travels is important because it not only symbolizes the familiar watery environment of the Eastern Shore, but also the endless struggles of their lives and the dangerous journey to Heaven.

It is important to note that a colored lithograph takes even more time to process than a black-and-white lithograph. This is because each color must be drawn on a separate stone and then run through the press separately. Eventually, the colors are layered on top of each other to create the image you see. As, you can imagine, this takes time and plenty of attention to detail.