This work explores the terrestrial limitations of bondage and the celestial possibilities of

freedom for the enslaved in the American South. During the mid to late 19th century enslaved

African Americans found their way to freedom by observing stars and other sky patterns. I’ve

used the constellation Ursa Minor as a design element in my map making. The North Star, also

known as Polaris, is located within Ursa Minor; it’s the brightest star within that constellation.