How much irrepressible energy comes out of the art of the extraordinary artist Bisa Butler. Contained energy, in the vibrant colors, in the expressions of the eyes, and in the designs that these colors try to contain. Looking at the art of this established artist is like drinking a glass of Italian wine. It comes out, the history, the hard work, the traditions, the origins. A concentrate of empathic and sublime art.
Bisa Butler creates insanely intricate quilted artwork that captures the lives of everyday African-American individuals (Who else can do that?). Using textured fabrics and swatches of cloth, Bisa creates a piece of art that expresses a story or expresses an idea. Bisa Butler was born in South Orange, New Jersey, to a French teacher and a college president. She studied at Columbia High School, as well as South Orange public schools. Howard University awarded her a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting in addition to a master’s degree in Art Education from Montclair State University. Her gift of artistic expression was evident as soon as she graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.
To create a new genre of quilting that has transformed the art form, Bisa Butler (born Mailissa Yamba Butler in 1973) is an American fiber artist. Even though quilting has historically been regarded as a craft, her interdisciplinary techniques, which turn quilts into paintings, have made it into a fine art genre.
Her quilted lei portraits of black lives, which illustrate common people and historic figures alike, are popular. Because of her work, museums nationwide have included him in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Aand other museums. The Smithsonian Museum of American History, Epcot Center, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and other institutions have also hosted his work.
As a consequence, she was commissioned to produce the cover images for Time magazine in 2020, one of which was the “Person of the Year” and the other was the “100” Women of the Year”.