Tickets

Willie Cole Stowage 1997

  • MoMA, Floor 2, 208 The David Geffen Wing

How do you think the artist made this?

Take a close look at the shapes in this artwork. Growing up, Cole would fix broken irons for his mom and grandma, who worked as housekeepers. Inspired by this memory, Cole made his print using ink, irons, an ironing board, and wood. He thought the irons’ shapes looked like African masks. And the ironing board’s outline reminded him of a picture he’d seen of Brooks, a British ship that transported enslaved people from Africa in the 1700s. What do the shapes look like to you?

Kids label from 2024
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
composition: 49 9/16 x 95 1/16" (125.9 x 241.5 cm); sheet: 56 1/4 x 104 3/4" (142 x 266 cm)
Publisher
Alexander and Bonin Publishing, Inc., New York
Printer
Derriere L'Etoile Studios, New York
Edition
16
Credit
Jacqueline Brody Fund and The Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art
Object number
78.1997
Copyright
© 2024 Willie Cole
Department
Drawings and Prints

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