Roots of Cultural Expression

In The Thick

Futuro Media

News Commentary, Politics, Culture, Society, News, Society & Culture

4.9 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2021

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Roots of Cultural Expression Maria and Julio talk with fiber artist and teacher, Bisa Butler, about her quilted portraits that celebrate Black life. They also get into the history of Juneteenth and the push by Republican lawmakers to take critical race theory out of classrooms. And, they dive into the significance of textile art and quilting as a medium for storytelling. Bisa Butler’s portraits are on exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago through September 6, 2021. ITT Staff Picks: - In this piece for Smithsonian Magazine, Liz Logan writes about artist Bisa Butler’s journey to quilting, and how her portraits are recreating vibrant depictions of lost identities. - In this column for the Los Angeles Times, LZ Granderson writes about the whitewashing of American history, and what it will take to have an honest conversation about Juneteenth. - “Whenever I am trying to decide whether or not a particular movement, policy or person benefits Black America, I wait and see what white people think. While that might sound racist, there has never been a movement, policy or person that benefitted Black America who was simultaneously embraced by white America,” writes Michael Harriot for The Root. Photo credit: A detail shot of the Harlem Hellfighters,( Sgt. Storms), 202. Cotton, silk, wool and velvet. This is a work in progress. Courtesy of Bisa Butler.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on all our podcasts futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I feel like artists, the way we can dispel these myths and lies is by using our art to show people the truth.
0:18.6	Hey, fam, welcome to In the Thick.
0:20.7	This is a podcast about politics, race, and culture from a POC perspective. I'm Maria Inojosa. And I'm Julio Riccardo Barella. We have such a special guest today. Every now and then we allow people from the other side of the river to join us. That's New Jersey. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I know, just to throw it in New Jersey, but that is where the amazing Bisa Butler is based. She's a fiber artist, a teacher. You've seen her work because it's like nothing else. It's quilted portraits that celebrate Black Life. Bisa, it's such an honor to have you on our program.
0:53.5	Thank you, Maria.
0:54.7	Thank you, Julio.
0:55.6	I am so happy to be here. I've been looking forward to it all week. Oh, that's great. And remember, we're still recording from home. Visa's at home. She sounds great, but you never know when dog, cat, ice cream truck, something like that might happen. So we're going to be talking about black art
1:11.9	and its role in activism and kind of its evolution historically as well as where it is now,
1:20.2	where is black art today in terms of how it represents the black American experience.
1:25.2	We're going to start with some history, though, because this weekend also
1:28.4	happens to be, who, Juneteenth, which marks the day of June 19th, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston,
1:38.6	Texas to control of the state, and finally declared enslaved people as free. That day marked the enactment of the
1:47.9	Emancipation Proclamation, which was actually issued two years earlier in 1863, but Texas slave
1:55.8	owners basically delayed the news of the freedom. So we've learned that there's a lot of dewns, of course,
2:03.0	when it comes to the conversation about what freedom in this country really, really means.
2:08.2	And there's been a lot of discussion about the whitewashing of Juneteenth, as well as what
2:14.2	celebrating Juneteenth is really all about as it's become more nationalized and more mainstream, as it were.
2:20.9	So, Bisa, I'm wondering if, you know, do you celebrate Juneteenth?
2:24.3	How is it kind of come into your life?
2:27.1	And I'm just wondering how you feel the conversation about marking these historical, very specific kind of markers in very specific places and how we should do this as a country.
2:39.5	Right. Well, for my family, Juneteenth is a special date because it's actually my sister's birthday, June 19.
2:48.6	Happy birthday.
2:49.9	Yay.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Futuro Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Futuro Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.