The Legendary Quilters of Gee's Band Alabama Come to Spencertown
A communal tradition started with scraps durring slavery is now one of America's most meaningful artistic expressions.
More than 30 quilts by the celebrated quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, will be on display at two sites in Austerlitz, NY, July 12 through August 3, and multiple hands-on quilt-making demonstrations and workshops will be held with the artists in the coming days. It’s a rare and strikingly personal opportunity to interact with one of America’s most historically significant craft-art legacies.
Gee’s Bend quilts first came to prominence in an exhibit at the Whitney Museum in 2002, when they were hailed by the New York Times as “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” Characterized by bold, improvisational designs that break the rules of conventional quilting, these astonishing works extend the expressive boundaries of the quilting genre, and represent a previously unrepresented chapter in the history of American art.
Curator Lisa Bouchard Hoe worked with the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy organization and Spencertown Academy Arts Center to bring “Gee’s Bend: The Next Generation” exhibition to the region. More than 30 quilts will be on display from July 12 through August 3 in two locations, at the Spencertown Academy and the Church at Old Austerlitz.
The quiltmakers in Gee’s Bend have produced countless patchwork masterpieces, with the oldest existing examples dating from the 1920s. Many are now in the permanent collection of more than 30 art museums around the world.
When curator Lisa Hoe, herself a lifelong quiltmaker and collector, visited an exhibition of the quilts at the Whitney Museum with her mother, she was gobsmacked. “I was fascinated by the quilts and their makers,” she says. “Their work was outstanding and sent us on a new path of understanding.”
The exhibit here is the first time this new generation of Gee’s Bend quilters has traveled outside their Alabama community to present their work in a major exhibition. “I’m excited to get across what Gee’s Bend is all about,” Hoe says.
Six Gee’s Bend quilters are accompanying the show from Alabama, including Loretta Pettway Bennett, Stella Mae Pettway, Emma Mooney Pettway, Polly Mooney Middletown, Sharon Ann Williams, and Andrea Pettway Williams. During the first week of the exhibit, these quilt artists will conduct workshops and demonstrations open to the public.
What makes the Gee’s Bend quilts so special, and how did this artistic tradition occur? The simple answer is geographic isolation and a loving, interdependent community. Gee’s Bend, now called Boykin, Alabama, is surrounded on three sides by an oxbow of the Alabama River. As a result, the community resembles a remote inland island. Until recently, no major highways or railroad reached the area. The citizens there are mostly descendants of enslaved Africans who, for generations, worked the fields belonging to the local Pettway plantation. Many locals still carry the Pettway name.
The aphorism “necessity is the mother of invention” was never more true than for the women of Gee’s Bend. With few resources and little connection to the outside world, the women saved and shared bits of fabric, old clothes, feed sacks, and fertilizer bags to use in their quilts, which were made to be used for warmth and comfort—not as works of art. Nevertheless, their quilts are works of art and in a league by themselves.
The act of quilting itself is a communal affair in Gee’s Bend, and has served as one of the women’s chief social activities for centuries. Their quilting tradition—often described as a distinctive visual and artistic “conversation”—has continued to evolve and refine itself over many generations of mothers, daughters, and friends who loved and cared for each other.
Gee’s Bend quilts stand out for their flair and creativity. The oldest quilts, called legacy quilts, were composed boldly and improvisationally, in geometries that transformed the recycled remnants they were made from. For batting (the middle layer of a quilt), quilters were known to gather discarded cotton from the floor of the cotton gin—the older women quiltmakers laugh about how much cotton seed this material often still contained as they sewed it into their quilts.
Claudia Pettway Charley, an active fourth-generation Gee’s Bend quilter, learned to quilt by observing her family around her. “My grandmother, Malissa Pettway, my mother, Tinnie Dell Pettway, and my aunt, Minnie Mae Pettway, were—and still are—very accomplished quilters,” Charley says. “When I was a small child, I would play underneath my grandmother’s quilting frame which covered most of the living room. Today, I continue to quilt alongside my mom and my aunt, and I feel blessed to be able to share and continue this tradition with my family.”
Charley says her inspiration changes as the world changes. “It usually comes from my emotions, or my surroundings from that particular day or period,” she says. “If it’s a cold day, I tend to gravitate toward denim. If it’s sunny and warm, I enjoy using brighter yellow, and orange tones. My heart guides my work, and each quilt tells a different story. Quilting allows me to express myself freely, without rules or judgements. It’s just me and my materials. I love being able to use what is around me and create something beautiful and valuable.”
During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, many Gee’s Bend residents lost their jobs or were evicted from their homes as retaliation for registering to vote. In 1966, with the help of Episcopal minister Francis Walter, the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy was born. Father Walter saw commercial potential in the quilts and helped form the collective to help the women sell their quilts and bring greater economic stability to the community.
The earliest surviving Gee’s Bend quilts, referred to as “legacy” quilts, are from the 1920s. Five of them, created by Lola Pettway in the 1940s, will be displayed on the second floor of Spencertown Academy. Lola’s son, Willie Pettway, will present them at the opening reception for the exhibit on Friday, July 11 from 5 to 7pm (sold out). The artist Ransome will also be present to discuss one of his paintings of the Gee’s Bend quilters, in collaboration with Hudson’s Carrie Haddad Gallery. (Tickets for the opening reception are $100.)
Bouchard Hoe will also deliver a free lecture, “Gee’s Bend: The Legacy Lives On,” on Saturday, July 19 at 2 pm at the Church at Old Austerlitz, where she will discuss the long tradition of American quilting and how Gee’s Bend quilts caused a major shift in thinking about what constitutes a quilt. Hoe will also address changes in the Gee’s Bend community brought about by global fame, including how the legacy of the original quilters not only lives on, but has grown to embrace the younger generations.
Interactive Quilting Demonstrations
In keeping with the Gee’s Bend tradition of friendship, anyone interested can join in the camaraderie alongside the quilters, working on a large quilt frame. Saturday, July 12, from 11 am to 1 pm at the Church at Old Austerlitz, and Sunday, July 13, from 10 am to 12 noon at Spencertown Academy. Admission is free.
Quilting Workshops
The Gee’s Bend quilt artists will hold two workshops where they will guide participants in designing and sewing a 12-inch-by-12-inch quilt block suitable for framing. The workshop includes designing and making the top, adding the batting and backing and hemming to completion. All materials are provided. Both workshops are held at Spencertown Academy: Sunday, July 13, from 1:30 to 5pm, and Monday, July 14, from 10am to 1:30pm. Attendance limited to 10 per session and cost $275.
