Portraits after Bisa Butler

February 2022

Featured across from the school’s front office, this Black Brilliance project includes student work inspired by artist Bisa Butler.

Bisa Butler (born Malissa Yamba Butler in 1973) is an American fiber artist who has created a new genre of quilting that has transformed the medium. Although quilting has long been considered a craft, her methods—which create quilt that look like paintings—have catapulted quilting into the field of fine art. She is known for her vibrant, quilted portraits celebrating Black life, portraying both everyday people and notable historical figures. Her works now count among the permanent collections at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Art Institute of Chicago.