Patching Voyages
sanford biggers | february 9 - april 24, 2022
In Patching Voyages, artist Sanford Biggers uses Civil War era quilts as hosts to reexamine the histories that exist around them. The artist then stitches, paints, and layers new visual narratives onto these archived materials. Through this act of appropriation, the resultant artworks are now excised out of their previous functionality, allowing them to serve, presently, as spaces for reflection.
Biggers works in a variety of media, but is well known for his unique practice of sifting, questioning, and reassessing history. His approach treats history like a malleable material, removing it from a linear assessment and permitting it to be shifted by present and future occurrences.
Well versed in many typologies, the artist mines themes including the African and Asian Diaspora, Buddhism, Afro-Futurism, hip-hop culture, and urban life. These artworks were also informed by previous accounts suggesting that quilts served as signposts on the Underground Railroad. Allowing for folklore to enter into this exchange respects the past while creating a platform for a more active and engaged discussion. The viewer is given the space to travel, question, and bridge these many connections within these works.
Patching Voyages is the first solo presentation for Sanford Biggers in Kansas and will be accompanied by a variety of programming that includes discussions, film presentations, and performances.
Programming
FEBRUARY 23
SALINA ART CENTER | 5 - 7 PM | FREE
Opening Reception | Nate McClendon, orchestra leader, performer and teaching artist at the Beach Museum of Art will perform.
march 3
ART CENTER CINEMA | 5:30 - 8 PM | FREE
Kevin Willmott, filmmaker and KU professor will speak in-person t our audience after a screen of his film, The 24th.
march 16
SALINA ART CENTER | 6 - 7 PM | FREE
Lunch and Learn After Dark | Kaye Monk-Morgan, VP for Strategic Engagement and Planning at Wichita State University will speak about Critical Race Theory (CRT) is and what it isn’t.
march 31
ART CENTER CINEMA | 5:30 - 8 PM | FREE
Kirk Sharp, Executive Director of the Gordon Parks Museum will speak following the screen of The Learning Tree, written and directed by Gordon Parks.
april 6
ART CENTER CINEMA | 7 - 8 PM | FREE
Art Matters Now | A live stream conversation from the Beach Museum of Art between Terrence Blanchard, Andrew Scott, and Kevin Willmott
Patching Voyages is funded by the Salina Art Center Annual Gala and the Greater Salina Community Foundation, Dane Hansen fund.