Forced Exodus: Coded Messages From the Underground Railroad by Joe Lewis: In celebration of Black History Month, we present Forced Exodus by established artist Joe Lewis. He delves deep into the heroic history of the Underground Railroad, a crucial episode in the Black experience, to draw potent parallels between the plight of slaves in the 1850s and undocumented immigrants today. His work explores past and present migration to and from Mexico, the connection between runaway slaves and indigenous people in their struggle for freedom, and the continuing search for social justice and self-determination.
Lewis’ gorgeously printed and embroidered textile works layer and weave details of the storied routes of the Underground Railroad and juxtapose them with vignettes from the dangerous trips of refugees escaping hardship and violence in the Americas today. Some works incorporate visuals from the woodcut prints that depict the brutality of the slave trade (1800 Middle Passage ships and