Bisa Butler: Tender Monuments
Bisa Butler: Tender Monuments is a mid-career survey at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, on view from March 19 through August 22, 2027. The exhibition spans three decades of the artist’s work, from the 1990s to the present, and brings together nearly forty of her luminous, large-scale quilts. Butler, a painter by training, uses textiles as her palette and quilting as her medium, drawing on archival black-and-white photographs of Black American and African diasporic people to create brightly colored, deeply empathetic portraits. Through culturally meaningful fabric choices and extensive historical research, she brings often unnamed subjects to life in lush, intricate compositions.
The show also places Butler’s work in dialogue with her artistic influences and predecessors, featuring pieces by Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, and others drawn from Smithsonian collections. Among the works on display is “Coco with Morning Glories” (2024), a quilted and appliquéd piece in cotton, silk, lace, and additional materials, based on a 1993 photograph by Dana Lixenberg. The exhibition is organized by Dalila Scruggs, the Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art, and co-curated with Liz Andrews, executive director of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, in close collaboration with the artist and with curatorial assistance from Maria R. Eipert. A fully illustrated catalogue, published in association with Smithsonian Books, is forthcoming.
When: March 19, 2027 – August 22, 2027.
Hours: Open daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Admission: Free.
Venue: Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Curators: Organized by Dalila Scruggs, Augusta Savage Curator of African American Art, and co-curated by Liz Andrews, executive director of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, with curatorial assistance from Maria R. Eipert.
Featured works: Nearly forty quilts by Bisa Butler, presented alongside works by influences and predecessors including Faith Ringgold and Betye Saar, drawn from Smithsonian collections. One highlighted piece is “Coco with Morning Glories” (2024), a quilted and appliquéd artwork incorporating cotton, silk, lace, netting, tulle, sequins, glitter, beads, and velvet.
Catalogue: A beautifully illustrated catalogue, published in association with Smithsonian Books, is forthcoming.
Support: Major support is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation and Vlisco; generous support from the Melissa Clark Harris Family Fund, Pamela Royall, and the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation; additional support from the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment Fund and Jeffrey Deitch, New York and Los Angeles; financial support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum; and support from the Fisher Arts Impact Fund.