<I>Martin Luther King Jr.</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2013
name: label: Created by
content: Michael A. Cummings, American, born 1945
label: Subject of
content: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968
label: Subject of
content: James Chaney, American, 1943 - 1964
label: Subject of
content: Michael Schwerner, American, 1939 - 1964
label: Subject of
content: Andrew Goodman, American, 1943 - 1964
label: Subject of
content: Denise McNair, American, 1951 - 1963
label: Subject of
content: Carole Robertson, American, 1949 - 1963
label: Subject of
content: Denise McNair, American, 1951 - 1963
label: Subject of
content: Cynthia Dionne Wesley, American, 1949 - 1963
label: Subject of
content: Addie Mae Collins, American, 1949 - 1963
notes: label: Description
content: An appliqué quilt portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with fabrics, plastic lettering, and a metal sign. King is depicted in the middle of the quilt’s red center field, wearing a grey plaid blazer over a white shirt and black tie. There is a prominent American flag patch on the left breast of the jacket. On either side of King are his quotes embroidered in black text on cream fabric banners, beginning with "It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynchingme, and I think that's pretty important." Above him is a metal sign reading [COLORED / SERVED IN REAR] with “MLK” in white plastic letters. To the left, directly on the red fabric background, is a list of names of others murdered in the Civil Rights Movement: CORE workers James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman; NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers; and 16th Street Baptist Church bombing victims Denise McNair, Carol Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Addie Mae Collins. Along the bottom margin in front of him is a map depicting North America and West Africa with the text “MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MINISTER” along the top. In the quilt’s bottom right corner is black text “EBENEZERBAPTIST CHURCH.” Belong this text is the artist’s name “Michael A. Cumming 2013.” The quilt is edged in a wide panel of fabric with a pattern of white handprints on a black background.
place: label: Place made
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Lynching
label: Topic
content: Segregation
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1961-1969
label: Topic
content: Violence
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
label: Classification
content: Textiles and Quilts
label: Movement
content: Civil Rights Movement
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: 2022.27.7
objectType: label: Type
content: quilts
label: Type
content: portraits
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Michael A. Cummings
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: cloth with plastic and metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 73 × 53 in. (185.4 × 134.6 cm)