Not If But When
Not If But When by Andrea Cummings | Embroidery and Appliqué
“Not If, But When” was inspired by the portrait of Michelle Obama (former First Lady of the United States) created by Amy Sherald that was unveiled (2018) at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in the “America’s Presidents” section. There is a photo, taken by a museum attendee – Ben Hines - that went viral of a little African American girl - Parker Curry - gazing up at this monumental tribute to Mrs. Obama. Viewers are left to imagine the thoughts that must have been running through the mind of this two-year old.
My piece depicts another little African American girl dressed in ballet class attire gazing up at a huge picture of dancers. As I have often told my daughters and their friends (girls and boys alike) when setting goals or desires for themselves don’t ever refer to it as “if” I can achieve it but when I achieve it.
Andrea Cummings is a textile artist originally from Dayton, Ohio whose artwork is all created by hand utilizing a combination of embroidery, appliqué, crochet, and quilting techniques. Her subject matter comes from experiences in her own background of visual and performance art and life experiences. For the past 15 years, Andrea has been an active member and served in several leadership positions of the African American Visual Artists Guild (AAVAG).
