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Bisa Butler used thousands of brightly colored textiles to create these figures, taken from an 1899 photograph of the Morris Brown College baseball team. Combining hand-woven Kente cloth, Nigerian hand-dyed batiks, and African and Dutch wax-resist printed cottons, Butler portrays these student athletes life size, honoring their individuality and exploring their features and skin tones from her perspective as a Black artist, recognizing their African origins. Butler used Jumping Horse patterns in green and gold or red and blue in the uniforms of several figures. Commonly called Je Cours Plus Vite Que Ma Rival (I Run Faster Than My Rival) in West Africa, this vibrant fabric transmits the athletic prowess of these teammates. To God and Truth is the motto of Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it is among the first colleges established by African Americans for African Americans. Butler honors this image from the rich and complex history of the African diaspora, while creating a quilt that is a mirror “for all of our beauty.”
To God and Truth
Bisa Butler (American, born in 1973)
American
2019
Medium/Technique
Printed and resist-dyed cottons, cotton velvet, rayon satin, and knotted string, pieced, appliquéd, and quilted
Dimensions
Overall: 298.5 × 357.2 cm (117 1/2 × 140 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
John H. and Ernestine A. Payne Fund, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection, and Arthur Mason Knapp Fund
Accession Number2019.2200
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Americas, Fashion and Textiles
ClassificationsTextiles
Bisa Butler used thousands of brightly colored textiles to create these figures, taken from an 1899 photograph of the Morris Brown College baseball team. Combining hand-woven Kente cloth, Nigerian hand-dyed batiks, and African and Dutch wax-resist printed cottons, Butler portrays these student athletes life size, honoring their individuality and exploring their features and skin tones from her perspective as a Black artist, recognizing their African origins. Butler used Jumping Horse patterns in green and gold or red and blue in the uniforms of several figures. Commonly called Je Cours Plus Vite Que Ma Rival (I Run Faster Than My Rival) in West Africa, this vibrant fabric transmits the athletic prowess of these teammates. To God and Truth is the motto of Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, it is among the first colleges established by African Americans for African Americans. Butler honors this image from the rich and complex history of the African diaspora, while creating a quilt that is a mirror “for all of our beauty.”
DescriptionLarge scale quilt portrait of the African American baseball team of Morris Brown College, Atlanta, based on a 1899 photograph. Figures are made with colorful printed cottons from West Africa.
Provenance2019, consigned by the artist to Claire Oliver Gallery, New York; 2019, sold by Claire Oliver Gallery to the MFA. (Accession Date: December 11, 2019)
Copyright© Bisa Butler LLC