The works encapsulated in the  Freedom Drum Song collection utilize the art of fashion design and sculpture to guide the viewer on a journey that began some 400 years ago. Viewed chronologically, the pieces represent literal and emotional snapshots of the experiences of Black Americans. Beginning with the Transatlantic Slave Trade and suspending itself in the present day, the work uses tactile imagery to arrest the viewer’s senses. 

Freedom Drum Song, which is composed of 6 pieces interwoven by a thematic thread, portrays feelings of foreboding as nearly half a millennium of macabre is reclaimed.  Yet, the collection remains artistically beautiful and visually calls upon ancestral knowledge to guide the viewer as they consider their role in the narrative. Facilitated by Cynthanie Sumpter’s skillful execution and manipulation of the 3-dimensional palette and canvas, Freedom Drum Song embodies its namesake by resisting the westernized confines of sculpture to illustrate a collection that straddles the lines of homage and protest through the almost-audible visual qualities of each piece. 

The collection utilizes mixed media such as steel, chains, American and African fabrics, South Georgia cotton, a variety of found objects, and sketched images of our great Black leaders to expose many of the inhumane ills imposed upon the race formerly known as Negro since brought to the United States of America.