Object Details
Artist
Michael Cummings, born Los Angeles, CA 1945
Exhibition Label
This quilt is one in a series of four from acclaimed quilter Michael Cummings inspired by Afro-Caribbean stories of mermaids. In Haitian lore, mermaids are often fierce water spirits. Cummings placed a parrot and fish on either side of the mermaid to signify her power over both land and sea. Atop her head her stitched colorful “locs,” a hairstyle that traces its roots to several ancient African cultures.
Cummings taught himself to sew in the 1970s. He combines collage and stitching techniques to densely layer materials like antique and hand-dyed fabrics into narrative quilts. “The sewing machine has never given me trouble. I call it my dance partner because it knows all of my moves.”
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dorothy Dent Goodson
Date
1996
Object number
2002.59
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Fiber
Quilt
Crafts
Medium
machine pieced, quilted, and appliquéd commercial and hand-dyed cotton, synthetic and antique fabrics, found objects, sequins, and beads
Dimensions
76 × 78 1/4 × 1 1/8 in. (193.0 × 198.8 × 2.9 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Abstract
Animal\bird
Animal\fish
Waterscape\sea
Haitian
Fantasy\mermaid
Object\flower
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_2002.59