Gee's Bend

by Paul Arnett, William Arnett, Bernard Herman

Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt is a major book and museum exhibition that will premiere at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), in June 2006 before traveling to seven American museums through 2008. Organized jointly by the Tinwood Alliance and the MFAH, in conjunction with the Gee’s Bend Foundation, the exhibition will present seventy quilt masterpieces from the Alabama town of Gee’s Bend. In 2002, Gee’s Bend burst into international prominence through the success of Tinwood’s Quilts of Gee’s Bend exhibition and book, which revealed an important and previously invisible art tradition from the African American South. Critics and popular audiences alike marveled at these black-made quilts that combined the best of contemporary design with a deeply rooted ethnic heritage and compelling human stories about the women. Michael Kimmelman, chief critic for the New York Times, set the tone for the quilts’ reception when he wrote that they represent “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” The exhibition has subsequently received unanimously stellar praise and wide coverage in the print and broadcast media, broken attendance records at museums throughout the United States, and attracted audiences of unprecedented diversity. In 2006, Gee’s Bend quilts will be commemorated in a series of postage stamps, “American Treasures,” by the United States Postal Service.The Architecture of Gee’s Bend Quilts explores the origins, aesthetics, family structures, and community roots of this crucial American cultural legacy; presents newly discovered masterworks from the second half of the twentieth century; and, by spotlighting more than a dozen quilts created in the last four years, celebrates the recent and dazzling revitalization of Gee’s Bend’s artmaking in the twenty-first century. As such, the book offers evidencs that a once-dying art form may now continue to thrive and to inspire art lovers well into the new millennium.

Genres: Art, Quilting, Nonfiction, History, Design, Sewing, Crafts

192 pages, Hardcover

First published July 25, 2006

Reviews

[Robert Hobkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Arnett, an art collector/historian, from Georgia, USA, had the idea that African-Americans were probably excelling in the visual arts as they had done with music, and to find out if this idea was true or not he explored the South looking for exceptional African-American art. His art quest took him to Gee's Bend, literally a back water community, in Alabama. In this isolated community, the women have been making extraordinary creative abstract quilts for generations. This art form alone was enough proof to substantiate Arnett's theory. The quilts are mind blowing in their strength and beauty, just like the artists who made them. If you have either an interest in art, quilting, and/or African-American history, check out Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational on so many levels. The quilts, the women who made them, their stories..I found myself patting the picture of one of the quilters who is long gone from this world, and saying, "I understand." She thought about quilts all the time. The work that came from her imagination is beyond belief.
These gorgeous original quilts make all others pale by comparison. I've spent hours reading and studying this amazing book. Only the very end of the book reveals the full depth of the reason for their success.
I would never have guessed the answer to one of my big questions- what did they use for batting?

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly beautiful book. I had to fight myself not to commit the greatest sin of all and steal it from my local library.

My biggest criticism would be the way that the direct testimony by quilters is shoved to the back of the book. I would much rather have gotten to know Gee's Bend and the work of the people who live there through their own words. Once they were able to talk about their own places in the community and explain the lineage and connections between the different artists and families, so many things became clearer in my mind. If I had had that as my foundation, it would have been easier to process the art history/anthropology side of things. There would have been something firm to attach to the ideas and concepts and labels the outsiders were using to try and contextualize the quilts.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not read all the words, but I savoured all the images. The history and community behind these quilts reminded me of the ones my Grandmother made from found fabric and tied together. I wonder if this is where the roots of today's modern quilts come from.

[Amberwench · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proof that the hand made, wonky line, piecemeal quilts still hold a place in our hearts and our history. Many images of vintage all hand made quilts and the stories behind them.

[Emily Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous pictures, very insightful

[Julia]

I am reading this book for inspiration. I have been felting wool and aim to make a felted quilt in the same vein as Gee's Bends fabric quilts, which I find visually stunning and spiritually amazing.

[Judy Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference for this genre of quilting. Reads well for non-quilters.

[Jeri]

excellent! saw their exhibit at the IMA in 2009..inspiring...met the Gee's Bend ladies....delightfully genuine and genuinely delightful

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story with good photos about an important group of American quilters

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is truly inspirational.

[Terence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, interesting stories and some exceptional quilts/abstractions.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories told by various quilters and their definitions of their work.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an education this book is into the art form of quilting by the quilters of Gee's Bend! I really appreciate the vision of the quilters; their story, insight, and design is fascinating.

[jennifer]

philadelphia go see this exhibit