The Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies is profoundly saddened by the loss of artist Avis Robinson. She was a dear friend to so many of us at FAPE and she will be terribly missed.

Please click here to watch MSNBC Morning Joe’s special tribute to Avis.

Avis was best known for her abstract quilted fabric works and her paintings. In her fabric pieces, she built on the rich traditions of African American quilting to develop a new visual language of color, form, depth and perspective with the added element of texture. Her painting practice used portraiture to explore the duality of “soul,” a word whose meaning is both cultural and metaphysical.

Avis made endless contributions to FAPE. Her works are featured in Embassies around the world, including Moscow, Russia; London, United Kingdom and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City.

At FAPE’s 2023 State Department Dinner, we presented Secretary of State Antony Blinken the watercolors of the quilts Avis designed. The Secretary of State said, “FAPE funds have commissioned Avis Robinson to create a series of eight vibrant, geometric quilts for each elevator bank at the new U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. Our diplomacy is augmented by these modern masterpieces.”

We send our deepest sympathy to Avis’s family, including her husband, Eugene Robinson, and her sons, Aaron and Lowell, during this extraordinarily difficult time.