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 (55 items)

Ellsworth Kelly, Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.30
Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Blue, 1964, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.28
Red Blue
Date1964
screenprint
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red over Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.29
Red over Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
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

      Bohyun Yoon, Glass Tube, 2012, glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, 2012.57A-L, © 2012, Bohyun Yoon
      Glass Tube
      Date2012
      glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes
      Not on view
      Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
      Salish Clam Basket
      Date2008
      glass
      On view
      Killer Whale Hat
      Date2002
      blown and sand carved glass
      Not on view
      Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
      Untitled
      Date2007
      glass
      On view