Created by
Huffman, David, American, born 1963
Manufactured by
John Annesley Company, American
Subject of
Till, Emmett, American, 1941 - 1955
Date
2022
Medium
acrylic paint, oil paint, cloth, glitter, adhesive, ink on paper (fiber product), colored pencils on canvas with wood
Dimensions
H x W x D: 77 × 77 × 2 3/4 in. (195.6 × 195.6 × 7 cm)
Description
A strip of differently patterned kente cloth with a checkerboard pattern of a yellow, green, white, and black stepped design alternating with a dark pink, green, yellow, and black hatched design extends diagonally across the center, bisecting the canvas below. There is another piece with the checkerboard pattern at the right corner of the piece. The kente cloth swaths are blended into the canvas with muted browns, orange, and white paint swirls and strokes. In the top right corner is a photographic image of Earth’s moon overlaying one end of the kente cloth swaths. In the top left are two rows of a repeating, green glitter Egyptian sphinx blended with Huffman's mother’s side profile, just above a swath of many small orbs in multiple shades of purple. In the bottom left quadrant are areas of florescent pink and white diamonds over black, along with another small, purple moon. In the bottom right quadrant is a circle of six, green glitter Egyptian sphinx heads. Along the bottom edge of the bottom right quadrant are fabric letters that spell EMMETT. The “E” is backwards, and the first “M” and last “T” are upside down. Each letter is made from a different brightly patterned fabric. The mixed media elements are further blended with a mix of drips, splatters, and brush applied paints as well as spray paints, color pencil markings, and glitter over the surface of the work. On the verso, across the stretcher’s top bar, and repeated on the canvas above, is the artist’s signature and date written in black ink that reads [David Huffman 2022].
Place made
Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Visual Arts
Movement
Afrofuturism
Type
mixed media
Topic
Abstraction
Africa
Art
Identity
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2023.81.1
Restrictions & Rights
© David Huffman
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5b3f785c8-f98f-47a1-9047-34c05a46c36e

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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