![]() ![]() When you see multi-colored organza and netting layered you are being told a story of something or someone colorful and multifaceted. When you see African printed cotton and mud cloth it tells the story of my ancestral homeland and the cradle of civilization. When you see vintage lace and aged satin it tells you the story of delicacy and refinement of times gone by. My portraits tell stories that may have been forgotten over time. My stories are told in the fabrics that I choose, the textures I combine, and the colors that create a whole new composition. I often start my pieces with a black and white photo and allow myself to tell the story. This inquisitiveness has stayed with me to this day. ![]() I was the one who wanted to hear the story behind every picture. ![]() I was the little girl who would sit next to my grandmother and ask her to go through her old family photo albums. My fabrics retain bits of the essence of their former owners and it makes them seem alive.American artist Bisa Butler uses recycled fabrics to create absolutely mesmerizing quilt tapestries, bursting with color. My fabrics even still have the scent of my mother’s perfume. “They are the remnants of clothing and house hold decorative items that they made through the years. “So many of my fabrics have been handed down to me from my grandmother, to my mother, and then to me,” says Butler. Maybe it lays in the 400 hours she spends on a piece … or maybe, just like the art of quilting, it lays in what has been passed down to her out of love and tradition. All of my fabrics are selected organically and based on what sensation and emotional response I get while I'm working.” “After I select an image I create a sketch that highlights what I want to project,” she says. So what really is the secret sauce to Butler’s quilts? Maybe it lays in her process. As a part of our online interview series for The Textile Museum Journal, contributing scholar Nancy Demerdash discusses the photorealist quilting practice of contemporary African American artist Bisa Butler. As far as the next major museum she would like to acquire or showcase her work? She has her sights set on Africa, specifically her father’s native land of Ghana, among other black and brown nations. Bisa Butler, 'Black Star Family, First Class Tickets to Liberia' (detail). For starters, continuing to travel the world and exhibit her art is a must. Was their life hard? Did they work the land? I could use denim and burlap.” If I do that I try to research where, what, and when did this person live? What was their life like? Was it glamorous? I could use silks and satin. “Sometimes I make portraits of people I admire. “My subjects are friends and family and vintage photos of African Americans from the 1920’s into the 1950’s,” says Butler. Her work then ended up at a group show in Harlem and her career took off from there. Lately I’ve seen artist-designed sneakers and I’d love to see what that would look like with my work.”Įventually, the calling struck again and Butler decided to test her hand at quilting, but only this time, as an art form. I’m interested in testing out several different items featuring my artwork. ![]() “I would love to see my art in high fashion. Thankfully, she isn’t ruling out a fashion brand revisit. She began strictly sewing clothes and felt her days as a textile artist were over. However, in 1996 as a mother and teacher, Butler had no expectations of becoming a fine artist. She was to sew an oven-mitt sized quilt and her curiosity of it as an artform began. The idea came from an assignment while she was pursuing her masters from Howard University in 1995. Although surrounded by sewing from a young age, the aspect of it as fine art began as a mystery. ![]()
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