Mermaid

Carolyn Crump, Mermaid, 2020, cotton fabric and cotton thread, overall: 10 in. × 8 78 in. × 3 12 in. (25.4 × 22.5 × 8.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carolyn L. Mazloomi, 2021.64.2

Artwork Details

Title
Mermaid
Date
2020
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall: 10 in. × 8 78 in. × 3 12 in. (25.4 × 22.5 × 8.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Carolyn L. Mazloomi
Mediums
Mediums Description
cotton fabric and cotton thread
Object Number
2021.64.2

Artwork Description

“I started making my art masks to chronicle this time in my life so people could know I gave my love, talent, and my time to my community, friends and family, anybody that needed my help. I tried do what I could.” —Carolyn Crump

Carolyn Crump tells stories of African American life with her three-dimensional quilts. She is a fifth-generation quilter and member of the Women of Color Quilters Network. At the onset of COVID-19, Crump began making cloth masks for her community in Houston, Texas. After a few months, she began sewing more elaborate and nonfunctional masks, like a joyful vignette of a little girl reading under an apple tree. Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, she turned to themes of resilience and social justice, including a portrait of Floyd and protest signs affirming the message Black Lives Matter.

This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (5 items)

Carolyn Crump, George Floyd, 2020, cotton fabric and cotton thread, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carolyn L. Mazloomi, 2021.64.1
George Floyd
Date2020
cotton fabric and cotton thread
Not on view
Carolyn Crump, BLM-4, 2020, cotton fabric, cotton thread, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund, 2021.15, © 2020, Carolyn Crump
BLM‑4
Date2020
cotton fabric, cotton thread
Not on view
Carolyn Crump, Cracked Justice, 2020, cotton fabric and batt, and acrylic paint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.6, © 4/2020, Carolyn Crump
Cracked Justice
Date2020
cotton fabric and batt, and acrylic paint
Not on view
Carolyn Crump, Mermaid, 2020, cotton fabric and cotton thread, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carolyn L. Mazloomi, 2021.64.2
Mermaid
Date2020
cotton fabric and cotton thread
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Helen Murrell, We Are All Warmed by the Same Sun, 2012, cotton fabric, cotton thread, and cotton batt, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.15, © 2012, Helen Murrell
We Are All Warmed by the Same Sun
Date2012
cotton fabric, cotton thread, and cotton batt
Not on view
Sandra Noble, The Little Rock Nine, 2012, cotton fabric and batting, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carolyn L. Mazloomi, 2023.20.4, © 2023, Sandra E. Noble
The Little Rock Nine
Date2012
cotton fabric and batting
Not on view
Marion Coleman, Her Heart Was in the Clouds, 2012, cotton fabric, cotton thread, and cotton batt, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.14
Her Heart Was in the Clouds
Date2012
cotton fabric, cotton thread, and cotton batt
Not on view
L'Merchie Frazier, Robert Smalls: Wheeling Freedom, 2015, organdy, tulle, and cotton batt, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.10, © 2023, L'Merchie Frazier
Robert Smalls: Wheeling Freedom
Date2015
organdy, tulle, and cotton batt
Not on view