On Monday, February 19, the series “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture” will present a program about the much-anticipated public sculpture, Sowing the Seeds of the Future, soon to be installed on its site on E. Main St. in Franklin.

The sculpture, by artist Wesley Wofford, was inspired by the research of the late, local historian, Barbara McRae. Barbara was intrigued by the intertwined life stories of three early-19th-century women who lived in what is now East Franklin. The program will focus on one of the three, Salley, an enslaved woman who is the central figure in the sculpture.

The program will begin with an overview of the sculpture project by Mary Polanski, a member of the leadership team of the Women’s History Trail project of the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County.

Mary will introduce the main speaker for the evening, Delphine Kirkland.  Ms. Kirkland has done extensive research into the lives of her ancestors – African, European, and native – in her home state of South Carolina. Her knowledge of the historic interactions of these cultures helps to shed some light on what can be surmised about the life of an enslaved woman here in western North Carolina. Ms. Kirkland was the model for the Salley figure in the sculpture.

The program will conclude with a performance of The Sexton’s Tale, one of a set of monologues written by Barbara McRae. In this brief, haunting theater piece, local dancer Jada Bryson portrays the ghost of Salley visiting the cemetery of Franklin’s First United Methodist Church. Jada, incidentally, was the model for the Wesley Wofford sculpture of Harriet Tubman that stands in front of the courthouse in Dorchester County, Maryland.

The program will be held at the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin beginning at 6:30 p.m. on February 19.