Artwork Details
- Title
- Haitian Mermaid # 2
- Artist
- Date
- 1996
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 76 × 78 1⁄4 × 1 1⁄8 in. (193.0 × 198.8 × 2.9 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dorothy Dent Goodson
- Mediums Description
- machine pieced, quilted, and appliquéd commercial and hand-dyed cotton, synthetic and antique fabrics, found objects, sequins, and beads
- Classifications
- Keywords
- Abstract
- Animal — bird
- Animal — fish
- Waterscape — sea
- Haitian
- Fantasy — mermaid
- Object — flower
- Object Number
- 2002.59
Artwork Description
This quilt is one in a series of four inspired by a mermaid from Haitian mythology. The mermaid protects the people of the island when they go into the water, and takes on the form of a woman on land. Michael Cummings has used the images of the parrot and fish to represent the mythological creature’s power over both land and sea. Haitian Mermaid #2 employs a wide variety of materials, including hand-dyed and antique fabrics, and Cummings has combined bright colors with dark tones of blue and black to suggest a tranquil night scene.