From a Birmingham Jail: MLK

Copied L'Merchie Frazier, From a Birmingham Jail: MLK, 1996, silk, photo transfer, gel medium, dyes, and beads, 5042 122 14 in. (126.8107.95.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of L’Merchie Frazier in memory of Watty and Alberta Frazier and James and Merchie Dooley (grandparents), 2002.41

Artwork Details

Title
From a Birmingham Jail: MLK
Date
1996
Dimensions
5042 122 14 in. (126.8107.95.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of L’Merchie Frazier in memory of Watty and Alberta Frazier and James and Merchie Dooley (grandparents)
Mediums
Mediums Description
silk, photo transfer, gel medium, dyes, and beads
Classifications
Subjects
  • History — United States — Black History
  • History — United States — Civil Rights Movement
  • Object — written matter
  • Object — other — globe
  • Portrait male — King, Martin Luther, Jr. — bust
Object Number
2002.41

Artwork Description

The narrative that we've created in America doesn't contain enough of the everyday people . . . who are ordinary . . . but doing extraordinary things.
-- L'Merchie Frazier

L'Merchie Frazier documents history and recovers memory. She celebrates greatness and excavates the stories of long-forgotten individuals whose accomplishments offer models of strength to those living today. In her art and poetry, she provides answers to the questions: Whose voices are not being heard? Whose stories have been erased? 
In From a Birmingham Jail, which is titled after one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous writings, Frazier chronicles episodes in the life of Dr. King using the format of a traditional African strip quilt. Clips from the memorial issue of Jet magazine intermingled with symbols and images of Central and West African masks celebrate King as, in her words, "an activist, peacemaker, and tireless leader of humanity."

 

Exhibitions

Media - 2019.15 - SAAM-2019.15_1 - 137377
Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women
May 31, 2024January 5, 2025
The artists in Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women mastered and subverted the everyday materials of cotton, felt, and wool to create deeply personal artworks.

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