Bisa butler artwork names

Bisa Butler

American fiber artist

Bisa Butler (born Mailissa Yamba Butler in ) is an American fiber artist who has created a new genre of quilting that has transformed the medium.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Although quilting has long been considered a craft, her interdisciplinary methods—which create quilts that look like paintings—have catapulted quilting into the field of fine art.[9][2][4][5][7] She is known for her vibrant, quilted portraits celebrating Black life, portraying both everyday people and notable historical figures.[10][11] Her works now count among the permanent collections at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Art Institute of Chicago, Pérez Art Museum Miami and about a dozen other art museums nationwide.[10][12][13] She has also exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the Epcot Center, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and many other venues.[7][14][15][12] In , she was commissioned to quilt cover images for Time magazine, including the "Person of the Year" issue and its " Women of the Year" issue.[16][17][18][19] With a multi-year wait list for private commissions, one of Butler's quilts sold at auction in for $75, USD.[18][20]

Early life

Bisa Butler, born Mailissa Yamba Butler, was born in Orange, New Jersey, grew up in South Orange, and graduated from Columbia High School in [21][22] Her mother is a French teacher from New Orleans and her father, a college president, was born in Ghana.[11] The youngest child in her family, Butler had three siblings.[22] When Butler was born, her older sister could not pronounce her name and shortened it to "Ba-Bisa" and then Bisa.[23] Her interest in art can be traced back to preschool; she won an art competition when she was four years old.[22]

Butler majored in fine art and graduated cum laude from Howard University, where she studied the work of Romare Bearden, attended lectures by prominent black artists such as Lois Mailou Jones, and studied under lecturers such as Elizabeth Catlett, Jeff Donaldson, and Ernie Barnes.[24] Her undergraduate degree was in painting, but she has stated that she never really connected with the medium.[25] She did start working with fabric, making collages on canvas.[22]

Butler went on to complete a master's degree in art education from Montclair State University in [26] There, she took a Fiber Art class that inspired her choice of quilting as an artistic medium.

She said in an interview, "As a child, I was always watching my mother and grandmother sew, and they taught me. After that class, I made a quilt for my grandmother on her deathbed, and I have been quilting ever since."[15] When she replicated her grandmother's wedding photo in quilt form, a piece entitled "Francis and Violette" for a final project, both she and her professor recognized that she had created an entirely new form of quilting.[3][27][2]

Along with being a practicing artist, Butler taught art in the Newark Public Schools for over a decade.[15][11][10] She now lives and works in West Orange, New Jersey.[11][28]

Artistry

Through her quilts, Butler aims to "tell stories that may have been forgotten over time."[29] Butler often uses kente cloth and African wax printed fabrics in her quilts, so her subjects are "adorned with and made up of the cloth of our ancestor."[11][12]

Butler's quilts both heavily incorporate African textiles a well as expand on a rich African American quilting tradition.[10] She explains in her artist statement: "African Americans have been quilting since we were brought to this country and needed to keep warm.

Enslaved people were not given large pieces of fabric and had to make do with the scraps of cloth that were left after clothing wore out. From these scraps the African American quilt aesthetic came into beingMy own pieces are reminiscent of this tradition, but I use African fabrics from my father's homeland of Ghana, batiks from Nigeria, and prints from South Africa."[12] She has also been inspired by the figurative textile works of Faith Ringgold.[24]

Butler typically works in bright jewel tones rather than representational colors to depict skin tone.[28] Color serves to convey the emotions of the individuals in her quilts rather than their actual complexions.[30] Using the Kool-Aid colors of the Black Power art movement also serves to capture the "soul and energy" of the person Butler is depicting.[31] While at Howard, Butler was mentored by members of AfriCOBRA.

The artist collective's bright, colorful aesthetic and aim to create positive representations of Black Americans can be found in Butler's body of work, as well.[11]

Her quilts often feature portraits of famous figures in Black history, such as Paul Laurence Dunbar, Jackie Robinson, Frederick Douglass, and Josephine Baker.

Butler uses a variety of patterned fabrics, which she carefully selects to reflect the subject's life, sometimes using clothing worn by the subject. Her portrait of Nina Simone, for example, is made of cotton, silk, velvet, and netting, whereas her portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat is made of leather, cotton, and vintage denim.[14]

Along with her portraits of notable figures, Butler also creates pieces featuring everyday, unknown African American subjects that she bases on found photographs.[10] She describes her fascination for her nameless subjects' unknown stories: "I feel these people; I know these stories because I have grown up with them my whole life."[12] She strives "to bring as many of these unnamed peoples photos to the forefront" so "people will see these ordinary folks as deserving of a spotlight too."[25]

Her pieces are done in life scale in order "to invite the viewer to engage in dialogue--most figures look the viewers directly in their eyes."[12]

Her work, Harlem Hellfighters, was acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum as part of the Renwick Gallery's 50th Anniversary Campaign.[32] This work is Butler's largest quilt to date, measuring approximately 11 x 13 feet, and features nine life-sized figures.[31] The photograph Butler used for this work is a black and white photograph of the th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters, from World War I.

Butler says, "My work is to continue to lift them up in history so they can be seen in public spaces, where their heroic sacrifices become part of the American quest to fight against oppression and for freedom."[31]

In , the Pérez Art Museum Miami acquired her work Black is King as part of the institution's new acquisitions initiative.[33][34]

Popular appearances

By , Butler already had a waiting list for commissioned pieces that she estimated to be several years long.[3] This was before her first solo museum exhibit and media attention catapulted her to celebrity among the general public.

Three of Butler's quilts sold at auction in , for between $37, USD and $75, USD.[8][20] The $75, sale price for Nandi and Natalie (Friends) () was almost eight times the anticipated value.[8][12] At least one personal collector has loaned pieces by Butler to museums for limited-time exhibits.[35]

She has also worked on commission to create a number of magazine covers, including the Fall cover of Juxtapoz, the March cover of Time Magazine honoring Wangari Maathai, the Time magazine "Person of the Year" image of Porche Bennett-Bey and the May/June edition of Essence magazine.[8][36][37]Tarana Burke's memoir sports a cover image quilted by Butler.[10][38] Additionally, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)'s featured Butler's work in its "Juneteenth Artist Showcase."[8]

Exhibitions

She has exhibited widely.

In , she exhibited at EXPO Chicago and was praised in Newcity[39] and the Chicago Reader.[40] In February , her work was included along with that of Romare Bearden in The Art of Jazz, a Black History Month exhibition in Morristown, New Jersey.[41] Butler's quilts are featured in art books such as Journey of Hope: Quilts Inspired by President Barack Obama ()[42] and Collaborations: Two Decades of African American Art&#;: Hearne Fine Art (),[43] and on websites such as Blavity[14] and Colossal.[28] In , she was a finalist for the Museum of Art and Design's Burke Prize.[37][44]

Butler's first solo museum exhibition Bisa Butler: Portraits was co-organized between the Art Institute of Chicago and the Katonah Museum of Art.

It was scheduled to first open at the Katonah Museum of Art from March 15 to June 14, ; however, after temporarily closing due to the COVID pandemic, the exhibition was extended to October 4, [45][46]

From May 13, to April 2, , Butler's quilt Harlem Hellfighters[31] was showcased in the Renwick Gallery's exhibition This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World which showcased the dynamic landscape of American craft today.[47]

From November 17, to March 12, , the Skirball Cultural Center presented Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories, an exhibition with works by more than forty artists, including Bisa Butler.[48]

From May 6, to June 30, , Jeffrey Deitch Gallery presented Butler's quilt exhibition: The World Is Yours.[49]

Public collections

  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA[50]
  • Art Institute of Chicago, IL[51]
  • Newark Museum of Art, NJ[52]
  • Orlando Museum of Art, FL[53]
  • Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN[52]
  • Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO[54]
  • Mount Holyoke Art Museum, Hadley, MA[55]
  • Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO[56]
  • 21c Museum of Art, Louisville, KY[57]
  • Toledo Museum of Art, OH[58]
  • Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL[8]

Solo exhibitions

  • Essex County College, Newark, NJ - [52]
  • Essex County College, Newark, NJ -
  • Organic Soul, NJ -
  • Home of Lonnie Austin show, solo exhibit -
  • Astahs Fine Art Gallery, Maplewood, NJ -
  • Quilt Me A Story, Bloomfield College, NJ -
  • Morristown Courthouse, Morristown, NJ -
  • Hearne fine art, Faces in Man Places -
  • NEWARK Academy, Livingston, NJ -
  • Domareki Gallery, Maplewood, NJ -
  • Firehouse Gallery, Valley Arts, Orange, NJ -
  • Richard Beavers Art Gallery, Brooklyn, NY -
  • The Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, KS - [52]
  • "The Storm, The Whirlwind & The Earthquake" Claire Oliver Gallery, New York, NY - [59]
  • Bisa Butler, Katonah Museum of Art, NY - [60]
  • Bisa Butler, Art Institute of Chicago, IL - - [61]
  • Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, New York, NY - [49][62]

See also

References

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    CBS This Morning. September 4, Retrieved /01/

  2. ^ abcScott, Chadd. "Bisa Butler Exhibition At Art Institute Of Chicago Headlines National Recognition Of Quilting". Forbes. Retrieved January 8,
  3. ^ abcDonker, Ellen (August 19, ).

    "Stories Worth a Thousand Stitches". Matters Magazine. Archived from the original on October 1, Retrieved January 8,

  4. ^ ab"Bisa Butler's Quilts Feature Designs So Realistic That They're Compared To Paintings". .

    Bisa butler quilt artist biography images However, in this work, Butler is giving a new autonomy and identity. October 27, Another reason she chose quilting, is because she wanted to protect her daughter from the toxic fumes that are sometimes present with painting. University of Arkansas Press.

    Retrieved January 8,

  5. ^ ab"Bisa Butler". Neue Luxury. October 27, Archived from the original on January 15,
  6. ^Beach, Charlotte (September 21, ). "Inside the Magical, Technicolor World of Bisa Butler and Her Revolutionary Quilts".

    PRINT Magazine. Retrieved January 8,

  7. ^ abc"Bisa Butler quilts history and links memories at Art Institute of Chicago". . Retrieved January 8,
  8. ^ abcdefFelsberg, Kaylie (August 20, ).

    "Bisa Butler's Quilted, Jewel-Toned Portraits Are Receiving Universal Acclaim". Artsy.

    Bisa butler quilt artist biography My own pieces are reminiscent of this tradition, but I use African fabrics from my father's homeland of Ghana, batiks from Nigeria, and prints from South Africa. She altered the quilting medium by developing a new genre. In doing so, she challenges viewers to look closely and reflect carefully on the potential and goals of portraiture. Authority control databases.

    Retrieved January 8,

  9. ^Loos, Ted (October 21, ). "From 2 Artists, 2 Ways to Tell Stories of Black America". The New York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved January 8,
  10. ^ abcdef"Positively Black: Bisa Butler's 'The Warmth of Other Suns'".

    NBC New York. Retrieved January 8,

  11. ^ abcdefLiz Logan, "Artist Bisa Butler Stitches Together the African American Experience,"Smithsonian, July 24,
  12. ^ abcdefg"Sale - Lot Bisa Butler ( - ) Nandi and Natalie (Friends)".

    Swann Auction Galleries. April 22, Retrieved January 15,

  13. ^"Bisa Butler: Black Is King, ". Pérez Art Museum Miami. Retrieved September 27,
  14. ^ abc"These gorgeous quilts celebrating black life will blow your mind".

    Blavity. February 23,

  15. ^ abc"Bisa Butler: Artist Bio". Black Prism. Archived from the original on March 31, Retrieved February 24,
  16. ^Mark, Westall (December 21, ). "Bisa Butler's Portrait of Porche Bennet-Bay TIME Magazine's Guardian of the Year".

    FAD Magazine. Archived from the original on January 21, Retrieved January 8,

  17. ^D.W., Pine (December 10, ). "The Story Behind TIME's Person of the Year Covers". Time. Archived from the original on December 11, Retrieved January 8,
  18. ^ ab"TIME magazine designs covers for its women of the year project".

    designboom | architecture & design magazine. March 6, Retrieved January 8,

  19. ^Karl, Vick (March 5, ). "Wangari Maathai: Women of the Year". Time. Archived from the original on March 6, Retrieved January 8,
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    . Retrieved January 8,

  21. ^"Bisa Butler: Quilt Artist Extraordinaire". The Village Green. March 12,
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    Retrieved January 8,

  23. ^"Q&A With Bisa Butler". American Craft Council. Retrieved March 30,
  24. ^ abEspinosa, Natalie (August 3, ). "Artist Spotlight: Bisa Butler in Conversation". American Federation of Arts. Retrieved August 11,
  25. ^ abNafziger, Christina.

    "Interview with Bisa Butler".

    Pfaff quilt artist With her intricate and transfixing portraits, she is stitching a new narrative of African American history. February 23, She said in an interview, "As a child, I was always watching my mother and grandmother sew, and they taught me. Retrieved March 7,

    Archived from the original on November 17,

  26. ^"'The People Could Fly: Royalty Without the Riches,' an Exhibition of the Quilts of Bisa Butler". The Brooklyn Reader. January 12,
  27. ^"Textile artist Bisa Butler stitches portraits in patchwork". . Retrieved January 8,
  28. ^ abc"Colorful Quilts by Bisa Butler use African Fabrics to Form Nuanced Portraits".

    Colossal. February 21,

  29. ^"Colorful Portrait Quilts by Bisa Butler Made Out of African Fabric". March 9,
  30. ^Moreira-Brown, Caira (March 18, ). "A Colorful Affirmation: In Conversation with Bisa Butler". FAD Magazine. Archived from the original on September 18,
  31. ^ abcd"Contemporary Craft in Focus: Harlem Hellfighters".

    Smithsonian American Art Museum. May 2, Retrieved March 30,

  32. ^Savig, Mary; Atkinson, Nora; Montiel, Anya (). This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World. Washington, DC: Smithsonian American Art Museum. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  33. ^"Black Is King". Pérez Art Museum Miami.

    Susan carlson quilt artist: April 22, Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Archived from the original on September 20, Red is more powerful, strong, and demanding.

    Retrieved March 7,

  34. ^Valentine, Victoria L. (August 21, ). "New Acquisitions: Pérez Art Museum Miami Adds 13 Works to Collection, Diverse Slate of Artists Includes Kenturah Davis, Bisa Butler, Karon Davis, Coco Fusco, and Sonia Gomes". Culture Type. Retrieved March 7,
  35. ^Lesser, Casey (April 29, ).

    "Inside Pete Scantland's Stunning Collection of Works by Today's Leading Artists". Artsy. Retrieved January 8,

  36. ^"Bisa Butler Quilt Illustrates May/June Cover of Essence Magazine Dedicated to 'Year That Changed the World'". Culture Type. April 22, Retrieved January 8,
  37. ^ ab"Toledo Museum of Art acquires major new work by contemporary artist Bisa Butler".

    Sentinel-Tribune. Retrieved January 8,

  38. ^Haber, Leigh (March 29, ). "Exclusive: Tarana Burke Reveals the Cover of Her Memoir, "Unbound"". Oprah Daily. Retrieved January 8,
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    (). Journey of Hope: Quilts Inspired by President Barack Obama. Voyageur Press. pp.&#;36– ISBN&#;.

  47. ^Hearne III, Archie (). Collaborations: Two Decades of African American Art&#;: Hearne Fine Art . University of Arkansas Press. pp.&#;10– ISBN&#;.
  48. ^"Burke Prize ".

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  51. ^"This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World | Smithsonian American Art Museum". .

    Bisa butler quilt artist biography wikipedia Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Her color choices, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of African textile traditions, upend the monochromatic biases of Western art historical traditions. By , Butler already had a waiting list for commissioned pieces that she estimated to be several years long. Drawing Toggle child menu Expand.

    Retrieved March 30,

  52. ^"Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories | Skirball Cultural Center". . Retrieved March 30,
  53. ^ ab"Bisa Butler: The World Is Yours". . Retrieved June 7,
  54. ^"Bisa Butler is Having a Moment".

    Art & Object. Retrieved August 11,

  55. ^"Bisa Butler". The Art Institute of Chicago. March 13, Retrieved August 11,
  56. ^ abcdClaire Oliver Gallery (August 11, ).

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  57. ^"Orlando Museum of Art Announces its Season". . Retrieved August 11,
  58. ^"A Man's Worth". Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. March 18, Retrieved August 11,
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    . January 16, Retrieved August 11,

  60. ^"Kindred". . Retrieved August 11,
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  66. ^"Bisa Butler: The Storm, the Whirlwind and the Earthquake". Claire Oliver Gallery. Archived from the original on September 20, Retrieved August 11,
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    August 4, Retrieved August 11,

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External links