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20 Odd

Artist Sara Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin (American, born 1951)
Date2019
MediumCotton fabric with netting and cotton batting; machine and hand quilted
DimensionsOverall: 44 3/4 × 144 inches (113.67 × 365.76 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund
Object number2019.48
On View
Not on view
Collections
DescriptionA textile wall hanging that features twenty brown, silhouetted figures in profile, facing left, tethered together at hands and feet across the length of the piece. At their back is a tree in flames. A border featuring a pattern of African drums as well as abstract patterns, all in black and cream colors, surrounds the central panel with the figures.Exhibition History

Journey: 400 Years 1619-2019, Carter Art Center at Metropolitan Community College, Penn Valley Campus, Kansas City, MO, October 4–December 6, 2019.

Gallery Label

In 1619 the crew of The White Lion brought 20 enslaved African people to the British colony Jamestown, Virginia. This marked the start of 250 years of slavery in North America. The 20 silhouetted figures in the center of this quilt are cut from different fabrics with African countries printed on them-- a signal that although their individual identities have been lost, these men may not have all come from the same place. 

Using commercial, contemporary fabric to depict a historical subject, Sara Sonié Joi Ruffin stitches together the present and the past. Her art shows the legacy of the slave trade and its effects on our present moment in the United States as we continue to confront violence against Black people.





Provenance

Purchased from the artist by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2019.

Published References
None
Copyright© Sonié Joi Ruffin
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


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