Black History Month: Bisa Butler
For Black History Month, I thought I'd share some of the visual and literary artists who inspire me. Let’s talk about:
Bisa Butler and her work. Photo credit: BisaButler.com
Butler is a New Jersey-based textile artist. She’s known for her stunning quilted portraits of Black people, which look like collages pieced together with West African fabrics. Even if you don't know her by name, you've probably seen her work by now: her portrait of "Black Panther" actor Chadwick Boseman is full of color, joy, and sorrow. I love her work for so many reasons, including:
her incredible skill at creating shading and depth
her frequent use of vintage photos as reference material, many of which I recognize.
The next time you see her name and work, look closely at the eyes of the portrait subject. They're unbelievably expressive, even though they're literally just bits of cloth.
Now that I’ve introduced you to a couple of outstanding visual artists, let’s take a look at a writer I love. Stay tuned for the next blog post…
