Birth of a Nation - a photo on Flickriver

Birth of a Nation

Stephen Towns (born 1980)
Birth of a Nation, 2014
Fiber, soil

A self-taught quiltmaker, Towns created the exceptional Birth of a Nation - his first quilt and installation work - in 2014. In this image, the silhouette of a Black woman nurses a white baby. African American mothers were often relegated to nursing duties for wealthy and affluent slave owners. Dressed in what appear to be pieces of faded burlap, with somber graphics and blue and white striped fabrics with cut-out images of white women engaged in leisure activities, the enslaved woman tenderly cradles the child in her arms. The uncanny clothing and early version of the Untied States flag represent the young nation that is nourished by the Black woman's lack of freedom and forced, free labor. The flag is suspended just inches above a mound of dirt on the floor, suggesting the incessant soiling of the country's legacy and the reluctance of many of its white citizens to acknowledge their appalling disregard for the rights of African Americans.

In the exhibition of works by Stephen Towns:
"Declaration & Resistance examines the American Dream through the lives of Black Americans from the late eighteenth century to the present time. Using labor as a backdrop, Towns highlights the role African Americans have played in building the economy and explores how their resilience, resistance, and perseverance have challenged the United States to truly embrace the tenets of its Declaration of Independence."
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Stephen Towns: www.stephentowns.com/

Taken on: March 28, 2023

Tags:

quilt

Black History

history

exhibition

Stephen Towns

a photo a day

3/28/23

365/2023 « less

Sets appears in: • Exhibit: Declaration & Resistance • a photo a day 2023

Stats: 260 views / 2 comments

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