Bisa Butler, Bring a Folding Chair: A Portrait of Shirley Chisholm, 2025; Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Print

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Through dynamic, celebratory quilted portraits that depict people of African descent, Bisa Butler investigates the purposes and potential of portraiture within the Black historical narrative. The artist’s influences range widely, from personal family scrapbooks to American folk traditions and AfriCOBRA philosophies. Taught to sew by her mother and grandmother and also formally trained in painting, Butler embeds her textile works with unique compositions, psychological depth, and detailed textures. Born and based in New Jersey, the artist has presented solo exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Jeffrey Deitch in New York City. Her work can be found in a number of esteemed permanent collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta. In 2024, Broadway Housing Communities presented her with the inaugural Faith in the Arts Award, which recognizes artists who carry on Faith Ringgold’s artistic legacy. 

Bring a Folding Chair: A Portrait of Shirley Chisholm celebrates the namesake politician, who not only became the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress in 1968, but also the first Black, major-party candidate for the presidential election in 1972. Pitched against a vibrant green background, the inspirational figure is seen smiling and holding two peace signs in the air, in a symbolic demonstration of her triumph over racism, sexism, and classism. Butler adorned her subject with African printed fabrics that pay homage to both International Women’s Day and Chisholm’s sorority Delta Sigma Theta. She additionally hand painted white chairs on the politician’s skirt, to remind viewers of her famous quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” In the artist’s own words, “Mrs. Chisholm’s strength, positivity, and determination has been an inspiration for myself and many people. She refused to accept a powerless role in her life, and remains an example of the way to live a life without limitations.” 

Of ART FOR CHANGE’s initiative to support the Brooklyn Museum, Butler additionally notes, “The Brooklyn Museum is one of the few museums that has made an effort to be inclusive and a part of its local community. On any given day, their visitors represent the full entirety of humanity, not just one elite aspect. I love that you can see families of all kinds, students, art lovers, seniors, and professionals all rubbing elbows in the museum. The works on view have been carefully curated throughout the years to show some of the most exciting pieces in the country and, dare I say, the world.” 

Bisa Butler
Bring a Folding Chair: A Portrait of Shirley Chisholm, 2025
22 x 36 inches
Archival pigment print
Limited edition of 20 with 6 AP + 1 PP
Signed and numbered by the artist 
$6,000

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*Framed prints ship within 3-6 weeks.