For 20 years, Bisa Butler has been creating exquisite quilted portraits that honor the African American tradition of quilting and reveal a vision all her own. A new show features seven of her latest portraits.
Bisa Butler is an American fiber artist known for her quilted portraits and designs celebrating black life. She has exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the Epcot Center, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and other venues. Bisa explains the work by saying, “In my work I am telling the story— this African American side— of the American life.History is the story of men and women, but the narrative is controlled by those who hold the pen. My community has been marginalized for hundreds of years. While have been right beside our white counterparts experiencing and creating history, our contributions and perspectives have been ignored, unrecorded and lost. It is only a few years ago that it was acknowledges that the White house was built by slaves. Right there in the seat of power of our country African Americans were creating and contributing while their names were lost to history. My subjects are African Americans from ordinary walks of life who may have sat for a formal family portrait or may have been documented by a passing photographer. Like the builders of the White House, they have no names or captions to tell us who they were.”
Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler (previously) uses brightly colored cotton, wool, and chiffon fabrics with bold patterns to piece together quilts featuring detailed portraits of Black people. The materials and themes connect American subjects with their African roots and tell visual stories of history and culture. Butler is a New Jersey-born African American artist with Ghanian heritage. A closer look at her portraits reveals intricate mosaics of shapes and patterns and complex multi-hued skin tones. More
Bisa Butler’s vibrant quilted works stitch moving portraits of Black life.
I would love to see Bisa Butler's show in person, but thankfully we can still view it online. This is her first solo museum exhibition and features 26 vivid and larger-than-life fabric portraits that capture African American identity and culture. Visit the Katonah Museum of Art web site for a behind-the-scenes look at the unique
When: May 13, 2020 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm New Jersey-based artist Bisa Butler’s textile portraits of African American people are created from layers of brightly colored fabrics with a multiplicity of meanings. Butler’s composite characters are inspired by historical photography; the resulting images[...]
See this family-friendly exhibition by artist Bisa Butler at the Katonah Musem of Art from March 15 through June 14, 2020.
Newport Art Museum will present Pride and Presence: a virtual Artist Talk with quilt artist and storyteller Bisa Butler on Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 6:30 pm. The talk is […]
Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler (previously) uses brightly colored cotton, wool, and chiffon fabrics with bold patterns to piece together quilts featuring detailed portraits of Black people. The materials and themes connect American subjects with their African roots and tell visual stories of history and culture. Butler is a New Jersey-born African American artist with Ghanian heritage. A closer look at her portraits reveals intricate mosaics of shapes and patterns and complex multi-hued skin tones. More
"When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it. - Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020) From Bisa Butler on Instagram: “I am so happy to
The renowned artist's exuberant portraits celebrate Black history and take the form to a new level
American artist Bisa Butler uses recycled fabrics to create absolutely mesmerizing quilt tapestries, bursting with color. “I have always been drawn to portraits. I was …
Bisa Butler (previously) shares her fascinating journey with fiber art, African textile traditions, and historical portraiture in an interview with Colossal’s managing editor. Drawing from university training with both AfriCOBRA artists and feminist fiber artists, Butler has carved her own path as an exhibiting artist with vibrant and evocative quilts. Get to know Bisa Butler in our conversation, part of our new Interview series for Colossal Members. More
Artists Bisa Butler and Kenturah Davis speak with Lara Mashayekh about their shared interests in portraiture, textile, language, color, and Black diasporic histories.
I recently became aware of the stunning textile portraits of New Jersey artist Bisa Butler while flipping through…
The renowned artist's exuberant portraits celebrate Black history and take the form to a new level
Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler (previously) uses brightly colored cotton, wool, and chiffon fabrics with bold patterns to piece together quilts featuring detailed portraits of Black people. The materials and themes connect American subjects with their African roots and tell visual stories of history and culture. Butler is a New Jersey-born African American artist with Ghanian heritage. A closer look at her portraits reveals intricate mosaics of shapes and patterns and complex multi-hued skin tones. More
Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler (previously) uses brightly colored cotton, wool, and chiffon fabrics with bold patterns to piece together quilts featuring detailed portraits of Black people. The materials and themes connect American subjects with their African roots and tell visual stories of history and culture. Butler is a New Jersey-born African American artist with Ghanian heritage. A closer look at her portraits reveals intricate mosaics of shapes and patterns and complex multi-hued skin tones. More
Image: Broom Jumpers, quilted and appliquéd cotton, wool and chiffon, 2019 (detail). Bisa Butler. Image courtesy of Claire Oliver gallery. Bisa Butler is an American textile artist who celebrates the personal and historical narratives of Black life. She creates large scale quilted portraits using cotton including Afric
American artist Bisa Butler uses recycled fabrics to create absolutely mesmerizing quilt tapestries, bursting with color. “I have always been drawn to portraits. I was …
Issue 18: Illinois $22.00 Advertisement free 100% money-back promise Available for individual purchase OR choose Illinois as your FREE bonus issue upon subscribing to Quiltfolk We’ll give you one guess: Which state is the nation’s leading producer of corn, soybeans, and pumpkins? If you guessed “Illinois,” you’re right — and if you knew the answer, you might be a Midwesterner. […]
Bisa Butler's stories are told in the fabrics that she chooses, the textures she combines, and the colors that create a whole new narrative. Bisa Butler has been represented by Claire Oliver Gallery since 2017
The textile portrait quilts of New Jersey artist Bisa Butler are bringing identity, history and legacy back to her African American community
Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler uses textiles and stitchery to make compelling African-American portraits that tell meaningful stories. Bisa Butler knew that being an artist was her destiny when she first won recognition for her efforts
Bisa Butler creates portraits that are singular and striking. Her works, intricately layered and vibrantly colored quilts, resurface and reimagine historical narratives of Black life.
Our master's edition, off-white, archival museum-quality paper, is uncoated and the superior choice for art enthusiasts who appreciate world-class quality to enjoy artworks most luxuriously. Features: The 250 gsm/ 110lb paper is perfect for fine art, designed to last for years without losing its original beauty. Our matte paper is uncoated and natural white (off-white). With alkaline papermaking technology, this poster is acid-free, meaning the pH of the pulp that is used to form the paper is above 7 (neutral). The paper is also buffered with an alkaline reserve, such as calcium carbonate, to neutralize acid compounds absorbed from the atmosphere or formed through natural aging. This ensures that your poster will last many years without any yellowing or discoloration. Our poster is free from or low in OBA (optical brightener additives). This ensures that the natural white color of the paper remains consistent under different lighting conditions. In contrast, the color of papers that contain optical brighteners can shift depending on the light source. Additionally, the color of OBA-free paper remains more consistent over time so that you can enjoy the poster for years without any shifts. We use FSC-certified paper or equivalent certifications depending on regional availability. It’s better for the people and the planet. Each poster is shipped in robust packaging, ensuring it arrives safe and secure. Paper sizes may vary slightly by region. For the US and Canada, the measurement is in inches, while for the rest of the world, it is in centimeters. It is printed and shipped on demand. No minimums are required.
Bisa Butler see our beauty in a way that is hard to describe. Combine an unbridled love for us with a world class artistic eye and you have Bisa's creations. Feast your eye on it and get full.
Bisa Butler creates portraits that are singular and striking. Her works, intricately layered and vibrantly colored quilts, resurface and reimagine historical narratives of Black life.
Image: Broom Jumpers, quilted and appliquéd cotton, wool and chiffon, 2019 (detail). Bisa Butler. Image courtesy of Claire Oliver gallery. Bisa Butler is an American textile artist who celebrates the personal and historical narratives of Black life. She creates large scale quilted portraits using cotton including Afric
The artist’s textile works honor the Black experience.
Birds and airplanes soar, horses gallop, purples meet yellows, cerulean blues tango with magenta in geometric patterns, foliate designs crash into damask.
Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Butler (previously) uses brightly colored cotton, wool, and chiffon fabrics with bold patterns to piece together quilts featuring detailed portraits of Black people. The materials and themes connect American subjects with their African roots and tell visual stories of history and culture. Butler is a New Jersey-born African American artist with Ghanian heritage. A closer look at her portraits reveals intricate mosaics of shapes and patterns and complex multi-hued skin tones. More
This exhibition brings together more than 20 of Butler’s vibrant quilted portraits, which both pay tribute to the role of quilts as bearers of cultural memory and celebrate historical narratives of Black life.
Bisa Butler offers new narrative quilts with two exhibits this spring, at Claire Oliver Gallery and her first solo museum effort at The Katonah Museum of Art. The fiber artist creates startling portraits and scenes with fabric, with her work often being mistaken for paintings. An extended feature on her work appears in Hi-Fructose Vol. 54. Her gallery show runs Feb. 29 through April 18, and her museum show runs March 15 through June 14.
