Black Room with Bitches Brew

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A jar (.4) element of an installation artwork. This large glass jar is placed on the floor in front of the central panel, and attaches to the central panel by a hand worked metal chain that hooks onto the central panel on a nail below the shelf on the panel's right-hand side. The interior of the jar is painted to appear murky, as if ambiguous liquids and materials are contained within. The jar is filled with a variety of dried organic materials, including seed pods and bones. The jar is topped with a velvet lid cover, which is tied shut around the opening of the jar with a cord finished with a large tassel. The lid cover has been decorated with cutout textile fragments embroidered with metal thread, buttons, sequins, cabochons and beaded headpins. Paillettes are attached to the chain in the links closest to the jar.

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