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Courtesy of the Artist
...bugs, reptile, fruit and bush...for those who bear/bare witness
Ebony G. Patterson fashions a garden of many layers: floral fabric, glittery leaves, sparkling lizards. Pieces of jewelry, like brooches, beads, and a delicate chain, suggest human figures nestled inside, visible in a pair of gloved hands. Gardens make room for joy and grief. The series …for those who bear/bare witness… often reveals images of bodies, including those of people who saw or experienced violence.
Written by Ella Nowicki, Windgate Curatorial Fellow
ArtistEbony G. Patterson(b. 1981)
Jamaican, born 1981
Date2018
MediumHand-cut jacquard woven photo tapestry with glitter, appliqués, pins, embellishments, fabric, tassels, brooches, acrylic, glass pearls, beads, and hand-cast and hand-embellished heliconias on artist-designed fabric wallpaper
Dimensions94 3/4 x 94 x 11 1/2 in. (240.7 x 238.8 x 29.2 cm)
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, Gift of Olivia and Tom Walton in honor of Monique Knowlton, 2025.44
ClassificationMixed Media
Provenance(Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago, IL); purchased by OTW Art LLC, Bentonville, AR, 2019; given to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2025
On ViewNo
This artwork's face covers about 8.2× the area of a standard movie poster.Drawn to the same scale.
