**Bisa Butler**, *3 Ft High and Rising*, 2023

Welcome. Of course my first (official) want is going to start with the very talented Bisa Butler and her quilted portraits.

I don’t only buy art to decorate my space, I also buy art to preserve and celebrate what artists do, be a part of the investment provided in supporting artists and their crafts, but mainly to make sure the kids that are in my life have beautiful pieces of work on their walls to be forever inspired. With that said, 3 Ft High and Rising is definitely a piece I wish my niece could see.

It’s shameful to say - I didn’t even realize that this exhibit was going up around my trip to New York, but sometimes those unplanned moments can be the best. This exhibit was the first time I was able to see 2+ more of Butler’s work in one setting. It gave me the opportunity to really compare the details and analyze the congruences of her pieces within her own storytelling. With seeing all the color I was surrounded by, I immediately thought - I wish I had my niece here to see this work. Now….the piece I wanted 3 Feet High and Rising, I truthfully imagined adorning a beautiful entrance wall of my future home and being passed down to my niece or daughter (ya girl can dream), but I know how my pockets run so it was a very quick thought.

The inspiration I experienced as an adult admiring this art is nothing compared to knowing what it would feel like walking by this piece as a young girl. The cool-ness of the pose, the gaze, the glasses, the fit while also providing the uniqueness of creativity and color. The figure stands in front of a backdrop of a pastel colored alphabet, but what the photo does not genuinely pull in is the shiny sequins that make up all the letters of the alphabet. Originally, this figure was a photograph of Ella Okindo taken by Alissa Okindo. Butler took Ella and basically adorned her beyond all the confident energy she was already giving. Adorned with a mix of vibrantly colored floral fabrics layered with, what I believe she pointed out to be Nigerian lace that she started experimenting with, to provide shading and layers to the characters she portrayed in this show. You question as you look at the photos (via online as well as in person)….is that an alternately colored stitching or is that another a vinyl textile layer giving that texture. All of this while also including her signature style of heat map like colored faces. Describing a piece like this (like all her other pieces) would be an endless use of colorful adjectives and a reminder that there is no real way to detail what you are seeing for someone else to imagine. These are works you must see in person to experience the extravagance of a textile artist. And please realize that this piece stands at 8 feet tall and over 4 feet wide. This piece would be the reminder to my younger self, the young kids in my life that you can exist, that you have that power to be you and live a colorful life.

Not only does Butler create this beautiful art, she pairs them with creative names that remind her of her own past and present. Within Butler’s art studio, she shares the space with her husband who is also a local* (is this word needed?) DJ. While the 2 share the space, they simultaneously work on their crafts allowing Butler to have a backdrop of fun and creative playlists. You can see this in the title of the works - and specifically my want piece, 3 Feet High and Rising is coincidentally the name of De La Soul’s debut studio album, 3 Feet High and Rising. The playfulness of the songs within this album for me is also represented in the playfulness of how this piece was created. Other pieces in the exhibit are also named If I Ruled the World (Imagine That), Young, Gifted and Black (various versions from Nina Simone to Aretha Franklin), and Hot, Cool and Vicious.

“From my eye, I see that we belong on these walls. We deserve to be on these walls. We are colorful, we are here and “The World is Yours” - Bisa Butler

One of the most profound things I was able to hear in an interview with her and Erica Hubbard was the importance and influence of attending an HBCU (historically Black College and University) vs a PWI (predominantly white institution). As a personal product of a PWI, I in no way say one is better than the other BUT the curriculum at HBCUs provide a more well rounded approach to history through arts, literature, and science. Butler received her Bachelor’s in Fine Art from Howard University, where she has detailed in previous interviews: “My professors came in young in the 60s, they were like 30 year olds with PHDs coming fresh from Nigeria [...] they weren’t having it [current curriculum] and were like we want a black curriculum: Black American as the new curriculum, not African, not European, but something new. They came with a manifesto and I’m one of the students of that trickle down manifesto.” (Butler/Hubbard Interview).

When I was fortunate enough to stumble onto the show, we were then blessed with the chances of running into both Butler and her husband. Through my travel partner’s convincing nudge, I introduced myself to one of my dream artists and was able to hear more about the thoughts and process behind making the full exhibit at the Jeffrey Deitch gallery. She talked about how she sourced her fabrics, the time and energy that goes into sewing each and every piece that goes into her work. What pulled me in more was how she described the purpose behind why she portrays her skin tones as she does. It is not to be ambiguous. It is not to give the viewer the opportunity to determine whether this is black or white skin. She is very clear that she wants black viewers to see themselves in each and every piece. Her work is for the black eye to lean into.

“I am saying to all people who may have been mistreated through acts of prejudice and racism that this world also belongs to them. In fact, this world belongs to all of us, and it always has. The statement “The World Is Yours” encourages people to stay the course and never stop trying to create the life they envision.” - Bisa Butler for Jeffrey Deitch Gallery