She Knew Where She Was Going: Gee's Bend Quilts and Civil Rights

Gee’s Bend, Alabama, is home to generations of extraordinary Black craftswomen whose quilts represent a crucial chapter in the history of American Art. Since the mid-1800s, women of Gee’s Bend have transformed worn clothes, sacks, and other fabric remnants into patterns that surpass the boundaries of the genre. Born out of necessity, the quilts provided warmth for family and friends while bearing witness to shared knowledge passed down among quilting groups and female lineages. But, in 1966, at the height of Civil Rights activism, the quilters transformed their artistic practice into collective action by founding the Freedom Quilting Bee. This cooperative championed the vision and production of Gee’s Bend quilters in national auctions and commercial partnerships, empowering the quilters and reworking systems of American quilting.​​

With the support of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Community Partnership, the BMA has purchased five quilts by Gee’s Bend artists including, Diamond in Square by Pearlie Irby Pettway (American, c. 1898–1955); Four-block Strip by Loretta Pettway (American, b. 1942); Blocks and Strips by Nell Hall Williams (American, b. 1933); Chestnut Bud by Lucy Mingo (American, b. 1931); and Housetop by Lucy T. Pettway (American, 1921–2004). The recently acquired works will be on view in the Berman Textile Gallery in the American Wing.

Souls Grown Deep is dedicated to promoting the work of Gee’s Bend artists and African American artists from the South and supporting their communities by fostering economic empowerment, racial and social justice, and educational advancement.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website