Artwork by Tiana Ferguson-Nieves
Aminah Robinson and the power of the needle.
Sewing is all around us. It is in the clothing we wear, the furniture we sit on and can be found in some great pieces of art. Think about all the things that get sewn together.
Can you think of any pieces of art that an artist has used sewing in their work?
Aminah Robinson, Millennium No. 13 : People Get Ready : 2011
Aminah Robinson, People of the Book : Prophet Street 1999
Aminah Robinson created many pieces of art that use sewing. Some of those pieces were Millennium No. 13 : People Get Ready : 2011. Also, People of the Book : Prophet Street 1999.
Aminah Robinson used her sewing skill to create stories and people from many different places.
Bisa Butler, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 2019
Bisa Butler, The Safety Patrol, 2018
There are other artists who used the power of the needle to create works of art. Have you ever heard of Bisa Butler? Bisa is known for capturing black life through her art. Some of her most well-known pieces are I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 2019 and The Safety Patrol, 2018.
For our activity we would like you to create your own piece of art that uses fabric. Be creative! Think about how Aminah used stitching to hold items such as buttons to some of her pieces.
Remember…Have fun…look at some of Aminah’s art for ideas and don’t forget to use a variety of items from your Aminah Robinson studio in a box.
Prompt created in partnership with Art in House Wendy Kendrick from the Ohio Alliance of Art Education. Written by Wendy’s apprentice, Tiana Ferguson-Nieves. “I am a senior at the Graham School. I am a mixed media artist. After high school, I want to study to become an art teacher. I started working with Art In the House in summer 2019.”
Wendy is heavily influenced during the early part of her artist career by the work of Romare Bearden, she has applied her years of work with collage and mixed media to her current work with quilted portrait masks.
In 2010 Kendrick was selected by the Arts Council Lake Erie West to travel to the East African country of Tanzania as a U.S. delegate for a women’s artist exchange. In addition, she was invited to speak to college students regarding her artistic journey at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam.
Kendrick received her B.A. in Visual Studies from Dartmouth College and has furthered her studies through additional coursework taken at the Dayton Art Institute, Columbus College of Art and Design and Quilt Surface Design Symposium (QSDS). Her work has been featured at the King Arts Complex, Burnell R. Roberts Triangle Gallery at Sinclair Community College (Dayton, Ohio), Star Arts Gallery, Ohio Craft Museum, the Rhodes Office Tower, Joyce Gordon Gallery (Oakland, California), The Shot Tower Gallery and Richard M. Ross Art Museum (Delaware, Ohio). Her work appears in the recent publications, the Columbus Book Project, Yours for Race and Country: Reflections on the Life of Colonel Charles Young and Visioning Human Rights in the New Millennium. Currently Kendrick serves as Lead Artist with the Art in the House Program (OAAE sponsored) at St. Stephens Community House and Windsor Stem Academy.
Find a CMA Studio Challenge that speaks to you and share your creations on social media by tagging #myCMAstudio.
Pick up a Studio in a Box with all the supplies and materials needed to aid you in our weekly challenges or allow our CMA educators to guide kids 1- 8th grade in a free online Studio Workshop.
