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Paul Briggs

Crystal Stair (Poetry Series, after Mother to Son--Langston Hughes)

Now On View Recent Acquisition

Description

Maker

Paul Briggs (American, b. 1963 in Beacon, New York)

Title

Crystal Stair (Poetry Series, after Mother to Son--Langston Hughes)

Year

2021

Medium

Stoneware with glaze

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Stoneware with glaze

Dimensions

15.5 x 6.5 x 8 cm (6 1/8 x 2 9/16 x 3 1/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Mary B. Jackson Fund

Object Number

2022.83.2

Type

Ceramics

Exhibition History

Art and Design from 1900 to Now

Jun 04, 2022 – Sep 01, 2026

Label copy

Paul Briggs summons his experiences in art, education, and theology to create work that speaks to oppression, pain, and healing. Named after two generations of Black American poets, these ceramic works speak to systemic social injustice and the strength to persevere. Briggs cut through these vessels with knotted coils both to reveal injury and emphasize resistance. He explains, “These vessels are pierced by pain. But they are still strong structures—the knots are holding them together. We all have knots.”

–Elizabeth Williams, David and Peggy Rockefeller Curator of Decorative Arts and Design

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Tombstone

Paul Briggs (American, b. 1963 in Beacon, New York)

Crystal Stair (Poetry Series, after Mother to Son--Langston Hughes), 2021

Stoneware with glaze

15.5 x 6.5 x 8 cm (6 1/8 x 2 9/16 x 3 1/8 inches)

Mary B. Jackson Fund 2022.83.2

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