Gee's Bend: Architecture of the Quilt

Gee's Bend, Alabama, is a little place that has made a big impact on us and many, many other quilters and quilt lovers.   The celebrated quiltmakers of Gee's Bend have inspired thousands of people with their powerful community spirit, distinct patchwork style, and endless creativity.  At the Purl Bee we've mentioned these special quilters more than once or twice; their work touches everything, from postage stamps to knitted sweaters.  Although the first major exhibition of their work was a decade ago, there is much to discover by just looking through a book or catalogue, or visiting a museum or gallery.

If you've never had the pleasure of seeing these quilts in person, we encourage you to visit Gee's Bend: Architecture of the Quilt, a travelling exhibition that originated at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in a museum near you.  The show explores the relationship between the extraordinary construction of Gee's Bend quilts and the idiosyncratic buildings that populate their isolated area of Alabama.  Images of Gee's Bend evoke the lived-in, tumble-down history of the place, and illustrate the environment that produced the quilters.  Both quilts and buildings bear the ingenuity and resourcefulness of their creative makers, from log cabin or "Housetop" quilts to the overlapping wood boards on a barn or the brightly painted cinderblocks of a shuttered grocery store.

 

Anyone who loves crafts will appreciate the strong bond between the homes these quilts adorned and the houses themselves.

The exhibit continues through 2008, so mark your calendar!  

The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
June 17 — August 26, 2007

In addition to the Gee's Bend exhibit, the Walters Art Museum will also present Linda Day Clark:  The Gee's Bend Photographs, featuring Clark's portraits of the quilters and their surroundings. 

Tacoma Museum of Art, Tacoma, WA
September 22 — December 9, 2007

The Speed Art Museum,Louisville, KY
January 2 — March 23, 2008

Denver Museum of Art, Denver, CO
April 13 — July 6, 2008

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadephia, PA
August 2 — October 2, 2008

The quilts featured here were made by Candis Pettway (top), and Lucy T. Pettway in the 1970s. 

Comments

[kate]

these quilts have also totally inspired me in my knitting, in my making small quilts. I love the books about Gee's Bend, and I am so glad to know that it is ok to end up with a "crooked" line- I always have, no matter how hard I try to be straight! Gee's Bend, Kaffe Fassett and Nancy Crow are VERY inspirational to me.

[Flibbertygibbet]

This is so fantastic - thanks to your blog I have a great itinerary for my June trip to NYC and Baltimore (obviously including Purl) and I'm so excited about seeing these quilts

[Mim]

I was fortunate enough to see this exhibit when it passed through my community- right before the stamos came out. What an inspiring collection! See it. You won't be disappointed.

[sara, the wine makers wife]

I saw this last year when it was in San Francisco, and I really enjoyed it. My husbands boss is also a wine maker and he sid he was so moved by it that he bought the dvd!!! Impressive.

[Lolly]

This was a wonderful show! I was so inspired after seeing it at the DeYoung in SF last fall. I am excited to see it again when it comes to the Walters - that is much closer to home for me :)

[gina]

These quilts speak to me.