The International Review of
African American Art,
Volume # 18, # 4, 2003,
Cherilyn Wright
A Visual Explosion In Harlem
"Quilt maker Michael Cummings, creates a universe of his own with an infinite collection of fabrics and textiles. His 1886 brownstone on Saint Nicholas Avenue in the Sugar Hill neighborhood is at once home, studio and gallery. With an extensive collection of African and Caribbean sculpture, Cummings' walls are draped with dozens of quilts splashed with images of fantastic beasts, giant fish, mermaids and jazz makers from the past."
The New York Times, June 14, 2001,
Home Section, Marianne Rohrlich
In the Ateliers Of Harlem
"...Harlem's Second Coming can be found on a smaller scale, in sophisticated little shops and businesses. There 's the old brewery where Marc Wilson has opened a floral design and events planning business; the 1886 brownstone on St. Nicholas Avenue where Michael Cummings makes quilts; and the West Harlem apartment that is headquarters for Sheila Bridges, a decorator involved in the design of former President Bill Clinton's 125th Street offices...."
"Michael Cummings' quilts have been exhibited at the American Craft Museum in New York and the Smithsonian International Gallery in Washington. Many of the designs, like his Jazz series, have African-American themes. His new work, however, is of butterflies...."
The Leader (Corning, NY), January 25, 2001
Stories in Cloth:
Quilts by Michael Cummings
In his latest work, he includes "Egungun Children", a six-quilt series and "Dreams Deferred", a quilt commemorating the children who died in the Oklahoma State Office Building tragedy.
Possibly Cummings most intriguing work on display at 171 Cedar is the debut of his cloth collages that illustrates Alice McGill’s new children’s book, "In the Hollow of Your Hand." McGill performed there on January 15.
The best praise an artist can receive often comes from comments of fellow artists and McGill is quick to commend Cummings on his latest quilts.
"The work is beautiful and uncanny," McGill said of Cummings’ collages. "He has even used pieces of colored glass to decorate the work."
Cummings has a keen sense of history. His reverence for the spiritual and his reworking of present and future possibilities make his quilts dance off the wall. Several of his original works are now part of the collections of Whoopi Goldberg and Bill Cosby.
Christian Science Monitor, February 20, 1998
Quilting has traditionally been a woman's art in Western society. But New York artist Michael A.Cummings is changing all that. Mr Cummings sews right in his home, an 1886 house in Manhattan, and stitches at a sewing machine in his drawing room under chandelier light. With a pair of scissors, he cuts yards of fabrics for images that depict stories of his life experience and his African-American heritage. Then he appliques them onto cloth backgrounds along with common objects like buttons, beads, shells, and sequins.
Quilts in the old tradition tell stories of our lives. Michael A. Cummings enlivens the quilting tradition, giving storytelling an even more powerful visual permanence.
