Redbone - Colored China Rags

Object Details

Created by

Juana Valdes, Cuban American, born 1963

Manufactured by

European Ceramic Work Center, Dutch, founded 1969

Caption

This art piece by Juana Valdes draws on the artist’s own experiences of migration as a dark skinned Afro-Cuban woman to address issues of race, gender, labor, class and colorism in the African Diaspora. The rag shape of the ceramic sculptures represent the intersection of skin tone, gendered labor, and class by creating a visual representation of domestic work. Displayed together, the 15 pieces are arranged horizontally from light to dark, the balance skewing towards lighter hues as a representation of colorism. The intentional sections of thick or missing pigment on the surface of the rags symbolize skin in different stages of deterioration due to age or hard labor.

Description

A set of 15 unique handmade ceramic pieces. Each piece has been folded and curved to give the appearance of a cloth rag and is made of bone china with pigment inserted directly into the clay. The colors, never repeated, range from hues of beiges, yellows, pinks, red, browns, greys, and black to resemble skin tones, and are presented in a horizontal tonal graduation. Some of the darker pieces have intentional sections of thick or missing pigment on the surface.

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, purchased through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative; in memory of Catrina Hill

June 2017

Object number

2021.72

Restrictions & Rights

© Juana Valdes, image courtesy of Spinello Projects, photograph by Diana Larrea

Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

ceramics

Medium

slip glaze and pigment on bone china

Dimensions

H x W x D (each, approx.): 12 × 3 × 4 in. (30.5 × 7.6 × 10.2 cm)

Cultural Place

Cuba, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Visual Arts

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

African diaspora

Art

Colorism

Domestic life

Gender

Identity

Immigration

Labor

Motherhood

Poverty

Race relations

Women

Record ID

nmaahc_2021.72

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd54edeece2-7f0e-4e4f-97cb-51c3752249fe