De Buck Gallery is thrilled to announce artist Tina Williams Brewer’s latest show at the Columbia Museum of Art. Stories of Grace is an exhibition featuring several of Brewer’s renowned textile works that draw on the rich cultural heritage derived from diasporic history, southern tradition, spirituality, migration, and shared ancestry. Several new works, inspired by her visit to St. Helena Island, have also made their debut at this exhibition.
From the Columbia Museum of Art
“For over 40 years, Tina Williams Brewer has created quilts that tell stories of vision and grace. A native of West Virginia, she draws on the rich Southern tradition of quilting, synthesizing her personal experiences with historical realities. Her work incorporates unique fabrics and inspirations drawn from her travels, including time spent at St. Helena Island in South Carolina.“
Brewer is a native of West Virginia, and her work draws on the rich Southern tradition of quilting. She synthesizes her personal experiences with historical realities in her quilts, which incorporate unique fabrics and inspirations drawn from her travels. The resulting vibrant, hand-stitched quilts explore themes relating to African diasporic history, spirituality, migration, and shared heritage.
One of the most striking quilts in the exhibition is Reflections on a Lush Life (2023). This quilt is made from a variety of fabrics, including digital prints, silkscreens, and Ghanaian batik. The quilt is densely packed with imagery, including flowers, birds, and geometric patterns. The overall effect is one of lushness and abundance.
Another notable quilt in the exhibition is The Journey (2019). This quilt tells the story of the African diaspora, from the Middle Passage to the present day. The quilt is made from a variety of fabrics, including indigo dyed cotton, African prints, and lace. The quilt is divided into three sections, each representing a different stage of the journey. The first section depicts the Middle Passage, the second section depicts the lives of enslaved people in the Americas, and the third section depicts the lives of African Americans in the present day.
The Columbia Museum of Art has also worked with Williams Brewer to create a short film to compliment the exhibition. The film, which documents the artist’s travels to the museum, the coast of South Carolina, and back home along with curator Michael Neumeister, will be available online by June 28th, 2023. A formal screening of Stories of Grace will be held Thursday, August 31st from 1:00 to 1:45pm.
Stories of Grace runs from June 10 through September 3, 2023.
