When the sun come up and the first quail calls,
​Follow the Drinkin' Gourd
For the old man's waiting for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the Drinkin' Gourd

“Escaping on the Master's Horse"

​painted by Jonathon Matas in 2010.

The original call for proposals for the blank wall on Green St.

Jonathan's Proposal

This mural commemorates Ithaca’s honorable history as an important site in the Underground Railroad.

Enslaved Africans, escaping North to Freedom stopped in Tompkins County on their way to Rochester, where Frederick Douglas and others would arrange for their trip to Canada.

​A stylized waterfall is central in the mural, loosely placing the scene in Ithaca... and above it the “Drinking Gourd” in a starry aqua/teal night sky. These stars, commonly referred to today as the Big Dipper, were used as a guide on refugees’ journey North. ​

Jonathan Matas was one of 8 artists who entered proposals for the wall on Green St.  Here is his original sketch for the mural emailed to the Public Art Commission on March 17, 2010.

​This sketch includes John Brown and Harriet Tubman, but Jonathan switched in Frederick Douglass inspired by his closer connection to Ithaca.

More about Jonathan Matas:

Website: matasart.com
Instagram: @jonathanmatas
Facebook: Jonathan Matas​

Made possible with help from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance and the Public Art Commission of the City of Ithaca.