Raymond Lane Jr.

Raymond S. Lane, Jr. is a sculptor known for creating a series of hand-built clay sculptures about Black Lives, such as those of Harriet Tubman. The sculptures were first displayed at an exhibit in the Public Library of Hamilton County titled, "Harriet Tubman's Experience in the Underground Railroad." These sculptures are now on permanent loan at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they are displayed to the public.

Early life

Raymond S. Lane, Jr. was born and raised in West End, Cincinnati. He attended St. Joseph's School and Dyer School before his family moved to Walnut Hills, where they lived near the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. He attended Assumption School and Frederick Douglass Elementary School in the area.

Lane developed an interest in art and sculpture at a young age, influenced by his uncle Wallace Young, who was also a sculptor. He went on to study art and sculpture at the University of Cincinnati and later became a sculpting teacher, working for many years at various Cincinnati Recreation Centers.

Career

Lane exhibited at the 1996 National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the Olympics celebration. His works have also been exhibited at Fifth Third Bank, WCET Gallery, and the Cincinnati Zoo. He has exhibited and sold his works at several United Negro College Fund functions. His mural, "Slavery Experience Through the Middle Passage into the Underground Railroad," is on permanent display at Northern Kentucky University.

"Harriet Tubman's Experience in the Underground Railroad"

This series of sculptures tells the story of events that chronicle Harriet Tubman's legacy, beginning with a sculpture of an adult reading the story of Tubman to a youngster. The remaining sculptures focus on events in Tubman's experiences as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. One sculpture depicts Tubman with a lantern looking at a young slave hiding under a trap door, while another shows her guiding young people by boat, presumably through a swamp, terrain typical of the Maryland's Eastern Shore, where Tubman was born a slave in about 1822.

Lane has stated that the inspiration for this series came from his visit to Tubman's house. He later studied Tubman's life while living in Ohio. He worked on the sculptures in a donated studio space within the basement of Assumption Church in Walnut Hills.