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 Featured
Artist: Gee's Bend Quilters Collective
Did you know that the quilt
was first designed as under cloths for armor?
Warmth woven for warriors -- that's how this
American folk art tradition began. We can trace
quilt's history back to an ivory carving of
a cloak worn by an Egyptian king in 35 BC. Bed
quilts became popular as wedding gifts in 15th
century Europe, and by 1785, the art of the
quilt had traveled to the North American continent.
But, interestingly, it was in the small rural
community of Gee's Bend, Alabama, where the
legacy of these diverse civilizations were stitched
together in what The New York Times
described as "some of the most miraculous
works of modern art America has produced."
The Quilts of Gee's Bend have received
tremendous international acclaim, beginning
their national tour with an exhibition at the
Museum of Fine Art in Houston in 2002,
and concluding this winter at the High Museum
of Art in Atlanta. Representing six generations
of African American women, the 70 quilts on
display represent the "first and only in-depth
exploration of quilting from a single community."
Bold and distinctive, the pieces of cloth that
shape each quilt serve as powerful metaphors
for the personal journeys of the Gee's Bend
woman. Collectively sewn together, the pieces
are integrated into a magnificent story of the
cultural survival and the socialization process
of an "Alabama Africa."
The journey of African American women, so eloquently
written about by Alice Walker in The Color
Purple and other works, reinforces the
importance quilting played in the lives of women
struggling to claim their identity. "Quilting
creates a female bonding that restores the women
to a sense of completeness and independence.
Pieces of a quilt, like individuals in a pluralistic
society, retain their identity while functioning
as a part of something else." The "something
else" Walker writes about is referred to as
"gestalt "in psychological terms. In gestalt,
we move beyond ourselves to be a part of something
greater, and through relationship with others,
we see ourselves more clearly and ultimately
become more whole.
Each distinctive patch is essential to the whole, for without each piece something greater can never take form. Just look at what the women of Gee's Bend have created by piecing themselves into community: a national art tour with a new one planned for 2006; two companion books; one documentary video; a CD of gospel music; and a line of home products by Kathy Ireland Worldwide. Yet beyond the commercial success these women have created for themselves, might they be doing something even more important by quilting new life back into their dying community? Could the home of their ancestors, and a people struggling to survive, be restored by the female bond of 40 black women? I believe it can, if we choose to quilt ourselves into their purposeful work.
Please view their beauty and buy their warmth at www.quiltsofgeesbend.com.
I've never made a quilt
in my life - but members of the National
Quilting Association, Inc. have.
They have an extensive list of community chapters
and educational programs to help you get started
or hone your craft. For more information, visit
www.nqaquilts.org.
 Visit www.quiltsofgeesbend.com
to experience the Gee's Bend Quilters
Collective and http://www.auburn.edu/academic/other/geesbend/
to gain a rich, contextual history of The
Quilts of Gees Bend through a
mutlidisciplinary and multicultural project
hosted by Auburn University.
The Quilts of Gee's Bend
are currently on display at The
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art through
May 8. Visit www.brooksmuseum.org for additional
information. The exhibitions travels to Boston's
Museum of Fine Arts, Jun 1 - Aug
21, then onto Julie Collins Smith
Museum of Fine Art at Auburn
University, Sept 11 - Nov 4, and
finally to the High Museum of Art
in Atlanta, Dec 17 - Mar 12, 2006.
If the Gees Bend quilts are out of your price
range, you might consider ordering copies of the
books, The Quilts of Gee's Bend
by Peter Marzio, Gee's Bend: The Women
and Their Quilts, and the Quilts
of Gee's Bend Journal by Annie Mae
Young at www.amazon.com.
An audio CD of Gee's Bend gospel music and video
cassette documentary are available through the
publisher, Tinwood Media of Atlanta, GA. www.tinwoodmedia.com/geesmain.html.
THE ART OF RENAISSANCE WOMEN , Florence,
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Click here to explore “A Journey…”
When life gives you scraps make quilts.
Anonymous
The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind.
Toni Morrison
If the quilt is to come to life, if my life is to come to life, I must leave room for the unexpected.
Sue Bender
America is not like a blanket -- one piece
of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same
texture, the same size. America is more like
a quilt -- many patches, many pieces, many colors,
many sizes, all woven and held together by a
common thread.
Jesse Jackson
Life is all about moving your patches around.
Sue Bender
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or associates who might enjoy a subscription.
About
the author and HumanArts™: After 24 years
in education and corporate America, Phyllis
Carrera risked it all to journey solo around
the world. It was time to break free and rediscover
her passion, power, and pure potential. She
returned in 1998 with a deep commitment to guide
others, both individuals and organizations,
on their journeys toward wholeness. To learn
more about Phyllis and HumanArts’™ coaching,
speaking, and leadership and team development,
go to
www.humanarts.biz.
Curious about
coaching? Call or
send an email to schedule a complimentary
30-minute introductory session.
Copyright © 2005. Permission is granted to reproduce,
copy, or distribute the HumanArts Connection
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