Contemporary + Modern: Art & Design
Fri, Feb 24, 2023 01:00AM EST
Lot 58
SONIE JOI RUFFIN "Sons Shall Rize" (2002 Quilt)
Sold for
$2,800
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $500 |
| $20,000 | $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
| $75,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
Sonie Joi Thompson-Ruffin
(Missouri, b. 1951)
Sons Shall Rize, 2002
Silk, African fancy print, Bogolan cloth, metallic threads
60" x 52"
Sons Shall Rize is a significant milestone in Ruffin's celebrated career, as it was her first professionally exhibited quilt, which shortly thereafter was selected to hang in Missouri's state capitol building in Jefferson City. According to an essay published by Pearlie Mae Johnson in her text African American Quilts (2008) which prominently discusses the piece, "Sons Shall Rize refers to African American males who are continuously challenged to rise above the atrocities they face, which are often associated with simply being black." The fabrics, construction, and composition selected for the quilt allude to numerous African ethnic groups, including Asante, Bamana, Fon, and ancient Egypt. Ruffin herself gave additional context for the symbolism present: "The ragged edges means rising from rags, gradually rising to the riches they so deserve. The center is mud-cloth and other fabrics include images of Egyptian kings. [The sun's rays] are African American men rising to the richness... I chose a purple silk cloth because to me it symbolizes royalty."
The work is accompanied by original text entitled "Sons Shall Also Rise: Africa is ancestral, a living document for all mankind," which is pencil-signed and dated. The top bar is outfitted with Velcro as a means of wall-hanging.
Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin is a celebrated contemporary fibers artist, author, and lecturer. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally, including exhibitions in the White House Rotunda and the Smithsonian Museum of Art, and in 2019, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art purchased her tour-de-force quilt “20 Odd.” Thompson-Ruffin is the author of The Soulful Art of African American Quilts (2007).
Exhibition history: Threads of Africa II, August-September 2002, Univeristy of Missouri- Kansas City. October 2002, Missouri State Capitol. The Journey: A Legacy, February 2 - March 23 2007, Carter Art Center.
Very good condition.
(Missouri, b. 1951)
Sons Shall Rize, 2002
Silk, African fancy print, Bogolan cloth, metallic threads
60" x 52"
Sons Shall Rize is a significant milestone in Ruffin's celebrated career, as it was her first professionally exhibited quilt, which shortly thereafter was selected to hang in Missouri's state capitol building in Jefferson City. According to an essay published by Pearlie Mae Johnson in her text African American Quilts (2008) which prominently discusses the piece, "Sons Shall Rize refers to African American males who are continuously challenged to rise above the atrocities they face, which are often associated with simply being black." The fabrics, construction, and composition selected for the quilt allude to numerous African ethnic groups, including Asante, Bamana, Fon, and ancient Egypt. Ruffin herself gave additional context for the symbolism present: "The ragged edges means rising from rags, gradually rising to the riches they so deserve. The center is mud-cloth and other fabrics include images of Egyptian kings. [The sun's rays] are African American men rising to the richness... I chose a purple silk cloth because to me it symbolizes royalty."
The work is accompanied by original text entitled "Sons Shall Also Rise: Africa is ancestral, a living document for all mankind," which is pencil-signed and dated. The top bar is outfitted with Velcro as a means of wall-hanging.
Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin is a celebrated contemporary fibers artist, author, and lecturer. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally, including exhibitions in the White House Rotunda and the Smithsonian Museum of Art, and in 2019, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art purchased her tour-de-force quilt “20 Odd.” Thompson-Ruffin is the author of The Soulful Art of African American Quilts (2007).
Exhibition history: Threads of Africa II, August-September 2002, Univeristy of Missouri- Kansas City. October 2002, Missouri State Capitol. The Journey: A Legacy, February 2 - March 23 2007, Carter Art Center.