<I>Ghost Series Sirigu, Janie's Apron</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2009
name: label: Created by
content: Floyd Newsum, American, 1950 - 2024
notes: label: Caption
content: This mixed media painting is part of a series of works inspired by the town of Sirigu, in Ghana, Africa. In Sirigu, the women oversee the decorating of the village, using their fingers when painting their designs. Newsum borrows that technique here, with some elements painted with his fingers. The painting is a tribute to Newsum’s great, great Aunt Jane who worked as a maid for whites families. According to Newsum, she had no education, but was very intelligent with the way she saved her money, leading his Aunt Emily to declare that Aunt Jane’s apron had magic in it. The funds from Aunt Jane’s savings were used to care for generations of Newsum’s family, with Newsum himself receiving contributions.
label: Description
content: This is an abstract, mixed media work on paper divided into four unique fields of color and pattern. At the left side is a wide vertical strip of exposed cardboard scattered with white paint splatters, small, colorful found objects, and yellow and white circles of paint. At the very bottom is a small, cut-out image of a woman. The largest section at top middle, is a rectangular expanse of blue layered with black paint markings. The white paint circles continue from across this field, and another small figure of a woman is found just above the center. On the right side of the work is a narrow vertical strip of black with cut-out illustrations of a turtle and coyote appearing above the image of a human face adhered to the surface. Beneath the center and right panel is a narrow, horizontal strip with colorful paint and small objects on bare cardboard background. There are transparent white circles spotted with black markings in spiral patterns, colorful splotches in turquoise, yellow, and red, along with small crayons, a pink toy hairdryer, and a small horse. Along the very bottom edge are blue paint strokes resembling water. On the verso, top left corner, handwritten in ink is: Floyd Newsum.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Abstraction
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Families
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
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: 2012.120
objectType: label: Type
content: collages
label: Type
content: paintings
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Floyd Newsum
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: oil and acrylic paint with mixed media on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (unframed): 56 × 86 in. (142.2 × 218.4 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (framed): 63 × 93 1/8 × 2 7/8 in. (160 × 236.5 × 7.3 cm)