Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital slr-2020.

Ancestry Rag Rug

Artist Maizelle Brown (American, 1941 - 2024)

CultureAmerican

Date2000-2003

MediumKnotted cotton African print cloth

Dimensions81 × 45 × 3 in. (205.7 × 114.3 × 7.6 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2020.11

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 110

DescriptionHand-knotted cotton strips of African print cloth on mesh background. Ancestry Rag Rug reflects the artist’s oeuvre as a visual storyteller. The fiber work connects to the history of quilting within the African American culture, and the use of “African” print bridges the pieces across the Atlantic to the African continent. The title also highlights the artist’s desire to preserve history into the present and future generations.
ProvenancePurchased from the artist by Chrysler Museum, June 2020.Exhibition History"Maizelle: Celebrate Me Home," Willoughby-Baylor House, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, April 13, 2019 — March 29, 2020. "Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 11, 2020 - January 3, 2021.