Shereece Stanard
HUM 202-02
January 25, 2017
Forced Voyage
Forced Voyage is a cold cast bronze, 16” x 20” piece of artwork that was created by Bruce W.
Harrell, who grew up in Hampton, Virginia. During his professional career he has worked in
various mediums including pencil, charcoal, pastel, pen and ink, water color, acrylics, and oils.
Forced Voyage caught my eye out of all the other pieces of art. The rusted bronze used to create
this piece emphasizes the history behind the meaning. It’s a sculpted piece that shows three men
behind bars with chains around their necks while agony was displayed on their faces. Forced
Voyage is like the African Slave trade. On the slave ships, people were stuffed between decks in
spaces too low for standing. The heat was unbearable and the air unbreathable. Women were
used sexually and men were chained in pairs, shackled wrist to wrist or ankle to ankle, as we see
in Forced Voyage. People were crowded together, usually forced to lie on their backs with their
heads between the legs of others. This meant they often had to lie in each other‘s feces, urine,
that we have to go through.