100th episode – Remembering and Featuring Bisa Butler in Episode #1

Over the years, we've been honored to host iconic figures like Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, who revealed how color can be a life-changing force, and Tula Pink, who welcomed us into her imaginative, boundary-pushing world. We heard from Alex Anderson, who reminded us of the importance of claiming space for our creativity, and Amanda Murphy, who inspired us to stretch the boundaries of traditional quilting.

This journey has introduced us to countless other inspiring voices: astronaut Dr. Karen Nyberg, who shared her love for quilting in space; Michael Thorpe, whose bold textile art challenges conventions; and the incomparable Gee’s Bend Quilters, represented by Mary Margaret Pettway, whose work connects us to a rich heritage of storytelling through fabric.

We've also learned from quilting luminary Ricky Tims, who shared his unique blend of music and quilting, costume designer Justine Seymore and Julian Collins, who creates fashion with purpose. Mimi G brought her vibrant energy and DIY spirit, while Deanna Springer reminded us of the enduring legacy of Nancy Zieman and the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show. We’ve brought you behind the scenes at Quilt Week in Paducah, BERNINA university, C2E2, QuiltCon, The Sewing and Stitching Expo, Houston Festival, The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show and The National Quilt Museum.

And our guest list goes on: Gail Yellen with her expert sewing techniques, sustainable designer Tristan Detweiler, creative advocate Kristina Wong, and reality star Craig Conover from Southern Charm who we accompanied to North Charleston High School as he donated BERNINA sewing machines to their maker space. We've heard from visionaries like Jean Wright from Sew Sisters, Amanda Richie from Unshattered and fabric artist Cookie Washington, each of whom has left an unforgettable mark on our community.

As we reflect on these first 100 episodes, we are profoundly grateful to each guest who has shared their time, talent, and insights, and to each of you who have been with us on this journey.

So now, let’s  celebrate by taking you back to February 18, 2021, to where it all began with a replay of our very first episode featuring the incredible Bisa Butler. Here is Sew & So episode #1…

This podcast explores Bisa Butler’s fascinating journey, which began with her getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting at Howard University. Realizing painting was not her passion, she went on to Montclair University to pursue a Master in Teaching. It was there, while making a quilt in her first-ever fibers class, that she had an artistic epiphany; she realized she could do what she loved, express her creativity in a way that moved her deeply, and tell the countless untold stories of African Americans.

Each pivotal step in her journey is described in fascinating detail. She talks about learning to sew from her grandmother; a black woman, and wife of an Emissary, who found herself transported to Morocco. She and her husband had to attend many formal events, and since they couldn’t afford to buy the refined clothing, one was required to wear, her grandmother would pore through fashion magazines and create replicas of designer outfits. The scraps of fibers and fabrics from those outfits can be seen in Bisa’s portraits of her grandmother and grandfather. She explains how using little bits of their lives helped inform her work.

Butler describes her work as “excavating the soul, where her own spirit has a conversation with someone who has long passed. The process begins with a portrait. By gazing into the eyes of her subject and really looking at the lines, creases, scars and the expression in their eyes, she can ‘hear’ their unspoken story. She spoke of the improvisational nature of private quilts and their ability to tell the personal experiences of her people (21:20 – 24:21).

As she details her journey through galleries and museums, Butler recounts the bias that was shown towards artists who use cloth in their art. But through all the rejections and dismissals, she kept at it, slow and steady, until her work exhibited at a New York gallery. After that, her work began getting accepted at more galleries and museums.

Her fiber and fabric creation, The Storm, the Whirlwind, and the Earthquake features a life‐sized representation of abolitionist and social reformer Fredrick Douglass whose magnetic gaze pulled her in. This piece is a powerful example of how Butler’s painterly textiles convey a sense of shared humanity were on exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art.

Her textile creations were exhibited in the European Painting Gallery Space at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2021. This is the first time a living artist has been showcased in this space. Her work iwasalso featured in Dress Up, Speak Up: Regalia and Resistance at the 21C Museum Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It was a joy to learn about the strides fiber, fabric and quilting artists have made, and we owe much of it to Bisa Butler. Her personal story of using textiles and the medium of quilting to celebrate her heritage and her community and her powerful art is a great inspiration to us all. This is one story you don’t want to miss, so make sure you catch the podcast.

You can learn more about Bisa Butler and view some of her amazing works of art at Bisabutler.com

I especially want to thank BERNINA for making this program possible.

If you know someone you think has an outstanding story – a story that should be shared on this podcast, please drop me a note to meg@sew&sewpodcast.com  or complete the form on our website.

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