In accordance with Black History Month, the MOA unveiled its newest acquisition on Monday -- a contemporary quilt inspired by the artist's trip to Tokyo.

"Subway Graffiti #3" is the third of three quilts by African-American artist Faith Ringgold. According to a news release, she completed the work after a 1986 trip to Tokyo where she was inspired by the crowded subway and unfamiliar writing on the walls that looked like graffiti.

The quilt, which consists of acrylic on canvas surrounded by a pieced fabric border, depicts the names and faces of many of Ringgold's friends and family. This quilt is a special tribute to the artist's sister, Barbara, who always calls herself "the Princess." "Barbara" and "Princess" appear several times throughout the quilt.

"Ringgold calls these pieces 'story quilts,'" said Chris Wilson, marketing and communications manager at the MOA. "If you could read all of the graffiti in the quilt, it tells a story."

Ringgold's art is displayed in many prominent museums around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

"Her work is in many well-known museums, and now our museum is a part of that," said Marian Wardle, curator of American Art at the MOA. "It's a new voice for our museum, and hopefully it's a start to more contemporary work here."

"Subway Graffiti #3" is now part of the MOA's permanent collection "American Dreams." Six couples donated the money to the MOA in order to purchase this piece. It was on a traveling exhibition around the country, and when it came to Boise, Idaho, Wardle bought it off the wall.

This story quilt is sensitive to the light and must be rotated often as to not expose it to harsh lighting. Low light is the best environment for this painting because it can easily deteriorate and fade.

"The thing I like most about this piece is the fact that it represents the women," said Kristen Davis, graduate intern to Wardle. "It is a quilt that an African-American woman made, and it's saying that it is worthy to be shown as a piece of art."

Davis initiated the process of acquiring this piece by contacting the museum that had it. She started making negotiations, which eventually led to the MOA's ownership of this contemporary piece of art.

According to the news release, Ringgold first began making political paintings in the 1960s at the height of the American Civil Rights Movement. Her original works were traditional oil on canvas paintings, but in the 1970s she began experimenting with other media, such as cloth sculptures, mask and tankas, which are Tibetan-style paintings framed in fabric borders.

The MOA is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.



Copyright Brigham Young University 27 Feb 2008