Piece Together: The Quilts of Mary Lee Bendolph

This exhibition considers Bendolph’s quilts as hybrid objects that blend tradition with innovation, utility with virtuosity, and deep spirituality with everyday materials. Building on previous assessments of Bendolph and other Gee’s Bend quiltmakers, Piece Together examines her quilts as both functional objects and as artistic creations of exacting intent.

Whether or not you go, Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond features Mary Lee Bendolph’s extraordinary patchworks. Her work first garnered national attention in a show of the same name which displayed works by quiltmakers from her tiny, predominately African American community. This beautiful book examines Bendolph’s inspiration, creative process, and individual genius, as well as her profound connection to the cultural practices and expressive traditions out of which her work arises. 

Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond