<I>An Offering #4</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2017
name: label: Created by
content: Stephen Towns, American, born 1980
notes: label: Caption
content: “All of my work is rooted in my growing up in the Deep South. My work is in direct response to issues permeating African American culture, issues such as loss of ancestral roots, slavery, class, education, skin tone and religion. I create beauty despite misfortunes in life.” — Stephen Towns
label: Caption
content: The subject of An Offering was inspired by Marcus Rediker’s 2007 book, The Slave Ship: A Human History. The series of eight panels pay homage to West African people who were uprooted from their families and forced to endure the brutality of the Middle Passage and enslavement. The shape of each panel recalls the iconic 18th century British slave ship, the Brookes. The candles represent an offering to these ancestors in a gesture of gratitude and solace.
label: Description
content: A mixed media work comprised of a rectangular painted wooden panel with a quilted fabric panel suspended below. The quilted panel ends in a curved point, giving the overall work the shape of a ship with pointed bow. The painted panel depicts a portrait of a figure against a gold background. The figure, shown from the waist up, wears a yellow, sleeved garment with a grey cloth draped asymmetrically across the shoulders. A round black shape appears behind the figure’s head. Three blue butterflies hover around the figure, one at the right shoulder, one at top left, and one at the left elbow. In the quilted panel below, the figure’s shadow is cast in black fabric overlaid with tulle studded with delicate glass beads. The black mass from above appears here as a halo of white thread. The shadow figure is surrounded by waves made of undulating strips of fabric in shades of blue, gray, and purple. Three hands hold out candles in offering to the ancestral figure, each flame represented by a single yellow bead. On the verso of the quilted panel is a small rectangle of white cloth at the top left corner with black thread embroidery reading "Offering 4."
place: label: Place made
content: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Identity
label: Topic
content: Middle Passage
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: Spirituality
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Portfolio/Series
content: An Offering
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2019.25.4ab
objectType: label: Type
content: panel paintings
label: Type
content: fiber art
label: Type
content: portraits
label: Type
content: mixed media
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Stephen Towns
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acrylic and oil paint, graphite, bristol board, metal leaf, natural and synthetic cloth fabric, nylon tulle, polyester and cotton thread, and crystal glass beads on wood panel
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (overall): 40 × 16 × 1 7/8 in. (101.6 × 40.6 × 4.8 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (a: panel): 24 3/16 × 15 3/4 × 1 9/16 in. (61.5 × 40 × 4 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (b: banner): 19 9/16 × 15 3/4 in. (49.7 × 40 cm)