White Coffee Maker

Margarita Cabrera, White Coffee Maker, 2011, vinyl, copper wire and thread, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.35.2A-D, © 2011, Margarita Cabrera
Margarita Cabrera, White Coffee Maker, 2011, vinyl, copper wire and thread, 12 348 3410 12 in. (32.522.326.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.35.2A-D, © 2011, Margarita Cabrera

Artwork Details

Title
White Coffee Maker
Date
2011
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
12 348 3410 12 in. (32.522.326.7 cm)
Copyright
© 2011, Margarita Cabrera
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
vinyl, copper wire and thread
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — appliance
Object Number
2012.35.2A-D

Artwork Description

Margarita Cabrera’s faux-leather appliances are reminders that many household electronics are made in factories in Mexico. The obvious craft process of sewing—emphasized by the exposed threads—symbolically makes visible the exploited human labor involved with mass production. Cabrera, who was born in Mexico and lives in Arizona, relates the sagging vinyl forms to the underpaid workers who help provide basic comforts in American homes.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (1 item)

Robert A. Darrah Miller, Farm, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.140
Farm
Date1933-1934
oil on canvas
Not on view

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      This audio podcast series discusses artworks and themes in the exhibition Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In this episode, museum director Elizabeth Broun discusses sculptures by Margarita Cabrera

      Exhibitions

      Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
      Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
      October 25, 2013March 2, 2014
      Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.
      Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
      This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
      May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
      This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.

      More Artworks from the Collection

      Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
      City is Man
      Date1941-1952
      linocut
      Not on view
      Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
      Untitled
      Date1976
      embossed paper
      Not on view
      Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
      Mandala
      Date1977
      lithograph
      Not on view
      Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
      Site with Blue and White
      Date1978
      monotype
      Not on view