Cumulo

2014

Cumulo, 2014. Sanford Biggers (American, b. 1970). Spray paint, interior paint, fabric-treated acrylic paint; overall: 182.8 x 189.2 cm (71 15/16 x 74 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Agnes Gund 2015.82 © Sanford Biggers Inspired by research indicating that quilts may have been used as coded signposts along the Underground Railroad, Sanford Biggers began employing them as his canvases. Gold paint and the inclusion of a heavenly body—a cumulus cloud—elevate the status of this quilt, and the women who crafted them, from mundane to sacred. Historically, quilts were often made from fabric scraps by enslaved women. They served as both a conduit for creativity and a way to beautify spaces. “I consider myself a late collaborator,” Biggers states, “working with this patchwork that goes over a span of decades and generations.” Using spray paint in this work, the artist adds imagery to historic quilts.