Rail of Tears

This sculptural piece highlights the similarities between the timing of the Trail of Tears and the Westward Expansion of the Railroad.  With American Progress and the development of the first railroad in 1827, came the Indian Removal Act of 1830.  These two events were linked by no coincidence.  To portray this I welded a figure out of railroad spikes.  I used light to cast a shadow onto a painted fabric map of the United States.  The shadow that is cast onto the fabric portrays the path of the Trail of Tears. This directly correlates these two events in history.  With American Progress came the removal of a whole indigenous culture.