Michael Cummings, Haitian Mermaid # 2, 1996, machine pieced, quilted, and appliquéd commercial and hand-dyed cotton, synthetic and antique fabrics, found objects, sequins, and beads, 76 × 78 1⁄4 × 1 1⁄8 in. (193.0 × 198.8 × 2.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dorothy Dent Goodson, 2002.59
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Haitian Mermaid # 2
- Artist
- Date
- 1996
- Location
- 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
- Subjects
- Object — flower
- Fantasy — mermaid
- Haitian
- Waterscape — sea
- Animal — fish
- Animal — bird
- Abstract
- Object Number
- 2002.59
Artwork Description
This quilt is one in a series of four from acclaimed quilter Michael Cummings inspired by Afro-Caribbean stories of mermaids. In Haitian lore, mermaids are often fierce water spirits. Cummings placed a parrot and fish on either side of the mermaid to signify her power over both land and sea. Atop her head her stitched colorful “locs,” a hairstyle that traces its roots to several ancient African cultures.
Cummings taught himself to sew in the 1970s. He combines collage and stitching techniques to densely layer materials like antique and hand-dyed fabrics into narrative quilts. “The sewing machine has never given me trouble. I call it my dance partner because it knows all of my moves.”