Michael C Thorpe

As an art educator both in the classroom and through this blog, I enjoy finding artists from all walks of life to share. Art can be an agent for change. Art can force us to confront that which scares us and promote that which inspires us. I spent the weekend considering how art can open our eyes to different experiences and knew I needed to share the work of 26-year old Boston artist Michael C Thorpe.

Thorpe’s quilts are unexpected. Drawing inspiration for his portrait quilts from artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat as well as the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers, an African-american group of quilters in Alabama, Thorpe celebrates his heritage and draws attention to the significance of quilts in African-american culture. While some of these concepts may seem too heady for children, talk to children about how quilts were used to record family stories and aid in the escape from slavery. Talk about how Thorpe uses his work as a communication tool today. Examine the images below and consider them carefully.

As Thorpe asked his followers on Instagram, “What do you see?”