HOW TO COMBAT RUMORS ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
HISTORY AND MUSIC AND
PHOTOGRAPHY ARE STITCHED
TOGETHER IN A SHOW AT THE ART
INSTITUTE.
"CHICAGO TONIGHT" VISITED THE
PANDEMIC-DELAYED EXHIBITION AND
PRODUCER MARC VITALI HAS THE
STORY BEHIND THESE PROTECT ANY
COLOR TEXTILES.
>> THEY MAY LOOK LIKE PAINTINGS
OR PHOTOGRAPHS BUT THEY ARE
QUILTS INSPIRED BY DOCUMENTARY
PHOTOS FROM THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS AND FAMILY SNAPSHOTS.
WE SPOKE WITH THE ARTIST FROM
HER STUDIO IN NEW JERSEY.
>> LIKE WALKING THROUGH A FAMILY
PHOTO ALBUM.
I LIKE THE IDEA THAT WE'RE
SEEING THEM AND THEY ARE ALSO
SEEING US IN WE ARE LOOKING AT
THEM FROM WHATEVER TIME THEY
SOME OF MY PHOTOS COULD HAVE
BEEN TAKEN FROM THE 1850s AND
THE 1940s AND THEY ARE LOOKING
BACK AT US, IN OUR TIME.
[♪♪♪]
>> BISA BUTLER AND HER HUSBAND A
LONGTIME DJ CURATED A SPOTIFY
PLAY LIST OF SONGS TO COMPLIMENT
EACH ARTWORK AND ADDS NOTES OF
VISUAL ELEGANCE TO HER SUBJECTS.
>> I'M LOOKING AT PEOPLE DURING
WORLD WAR II, A LOT OF THE
PHOTOS IN THE EXHIBIT, AND BLACK
PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH AND IN THE
MIDWEST WERE STRUGGLING AND SO
SOMETIMES THEIR CLOTHING IS WORN
AND FRAYED OR SOMETIMES THEY
DON'T HAVE ON SHOES OR THE HAT
COULD BE TORN.
AND BECAUSE I'M SEWING AND MY
NATURE I FEEL COMPELLED I HAVE
TO FIX THOSE THINGS.
[♪♪♪]
>> MY MOM AND MY GRANDMOTHER
TAUGHT ME TO SEW.
MY MOTHER WAS A FRENCH TEACHER
AND MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A
HOMEMAKER BUT THEY WERE ALWAYS
TRYING TO MAKE REPLICA CHRISTIAN
DIOR GOWNS OR REPLICA HALSTON.
I THINK ABOUT MYSELF BEING LIKE
ONE IN THE SUCCESSION OF THIS
LONG LINE OF CULTURES.
AND THAT IS ONE THING THAT I
REALLY LOVE ABOUT QUILTING THAT
IT GROUNDS YOU IN THIS HISTORY
OF WOMEN CREATING.
>> NOW, BUTLER'S MODERN WORKS
ARE INSTALLED IN GALLERIES
RESERVED FOR CENTURIES OLD
EUROPEAN PAINTING AND SCULPTURE.
>> IT'S MIND BLOWING.
HAVING MY INSTALLATION ABOVE
THAT GRAND STAIRCASE, IT'S BEEN
TRIPPY AND WONDERFUL.
>> WE ASKED AN ART INSTITUTE
TEXTILE CURATOR FOR HER TAKE ON
THE ARTWORK.
>> THERE IS IS A SCULPTURAL
QUALITY AND IN MANY OF THEM A
SENSE OF MOTION I NOTICE IT IN
THE FACES AND THE HANDS AND YOU
WILL SEE TOO AN EVOLUTION OF HER
PRACTICE IN THE WORKS AND
EXHIBITION WHERE SHE IS ADDING
LAYERS AND STITCHING MORE TO
REALLY CREATE THESE CULL STURRAL
EFFECTS.
>> BISA BUTLER PAYS TRIBUTE TO
THE INFLUENTIAL CHICAGO ART
COLLECTIVE THAT EMERGED IN THE
1960s.
>> I WENT TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY.
AND OUR PROFESSORS IN THE
PAINTING FACULTY CAME FROM THE
MOVEMENT.
AND THEY BASICALLY REPRESENTED I
WOULD SAY ONE OF THE VISUAL
ARTISTIC ARMS OF THE BLACK POWER
MOVEMENT.
THE PHILOSOPHIES THAT THEY HAD
WAS THAT ARTISTS SHOULD REFLECT
THE COMMUNITY.
>> YOU KNOW, I HOPE THAT MY WORK
CAN INFORM AND EDUCATE PEOPLE
AND ALSO SPEAK TO PEOPLE'S
SENSIBILITY OF LOOKING INTO EACH
PERSON AS A REAL HUMAN BEING WHO
DESERVES RESPECT AND RECOGNITION
JUST THE SAME WAY YOU WOULD LOOK
AT A PIECE OF ARTWORK.
>> FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" THIS IS
MARC VITALI.
>> AND BISA BUTLER'S SHOW IS ON
VIEW AT THE ART INSTITUTE