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The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

EDITOR'S NOTE

Overview

The quilts of Gee's Bend represent a practice of quilt making that started with enslaved women in the early 1800s in Alabama. The patterns and styles have been passed down through generations, literally and figuratively stitching together a legacy of Black culture throughout time. Initially, the quilts were purely functional – stitched together for warmth. But in the 1960s, the quilters joined together to create a coop, selling the quilts to create economic independence. Since then, the quilts have made their way across the nation, carrying with them stories from generations past.

• Watch "While I yet Live," a short film documenting the lives of five quilters from Gee's Bend (free) Vimeo >
• Shop quilts by Gee’s Bend Makers on Etsy >
• Donate to Souls Grown Deep, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the inclusion of Black artists from the American South in the canon of American art history.

Sponsored by Bonobos

Bonobos is a menswear company founded on fit, built on service, and focused on style. We're grateful for their commitment to preserving stories of Black History.

Housetop Variation by Loretta Pettway. Photo by Steve Pitkin/Pitkin Studio, courtesy of Souls Grown Deep Foundation

Quilting, or, the stitching together of layers of padding and fabric, is a practice found in nearly every culture throughout history. Oftentimes, it was a functional practice; a way to use discarded scraps of fabric to create purposeful bedding and garments for warmth. But there are also demonstrated examples of using quilting for art in many cultures to commemorate people and events, pass down stories, or show alliance to causes. In the U.S. quilting was a popular pastime for women, and often a chore passed to enslaved women (A Block Away). There’s also that quilts were used to send messages for the Underground Railroad (Smithsonian).

When enslaved people in Boykin, Alabama – better known as Gee’s Bend – began to quilt, it was rooted in necessity. After the end of slavery, the freed Black people remained, ​​working as sharecroppers (Auburn University). When the price of cotton dropped in the 1930s, the community faced economic ruin. A federal program that provided loans to formally enslaved people to own the land they lived on was introduced in 1930, allowing the residents of Gee’s Bend to obtain and preserve their community (Souls Grown Deep). Despite facing hardships as they established independence in an isolated part of the South, the quilting continued, passed down through generations.

Housetop, Log Cabin Variation by Lucy Mingo. Photo by Steve Pitkin/Pitkin Studio, courtesy of Souls Grown Deep Foundation

During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Gee’s Bend. The community rallied behind him, marching and registering to vote.  The local authorities retaliated by shuttering the already limited ferry service available in the community. Reportedly, the sheriff stated that  "We didn't close the ferry because they were Black. We closed it because they forgot they were Black” (Smithsonian). Again facing isolation and ruin, the group created the Freedom Quilting Bee, a workers cooperative that allowed quilters from Gee’s Bend and nearby Rehoboth to find economic sustainability. They began to sell their quilts around the U.S., introducing new communities to their vibrant and unique patchworking (arts.gov). When collectors became intrigued in the 1990s, their work became a fixture in the arts space.

Now, the work of Gee’s Bend can be found in over twenty permanent collections in art museums around the world (Souls Grown Deep). Three of its members, Mary Lee Bendolph, Loretta Pettway, and Lucy Mingo, have been awarded 2015 NEA National Heritage Fellowships (arts.gov). I've added a photo of each of their work in this email. But until recently, these quilts weren’t available to buy online. Last year, the makers partnered with Souls Grown Deep, a foundation dedicated to preserving the work of southern African American artists, and Nest, a nonprofit dedicated to the “handworker economy” (ArtNet). Together, they made it possible for Gee’s Bend community to sell their work on Etsy, and now, anyone can join in on preserving the legacy of their work.

Strips And Strings by Mary Lee Bendolph. Photo by Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio, courtesy of Souls Grown Deep Foundation.

Although there’s still a thriving population in Gee’s Bend, there’s limited industry (Auburn University). As part of the worker’s co-op, members that sell quilts keep part of the profits for themselves, and share the rest with other members, ensuring collective sustainability. Not only does quilting continue to preserve the history and culture of the community, but invests in its future.

Reflection Questions

• What cultural artifacts carry stories from your immediate family? Does someone in your family paint, or draw, or create music? 
• What do your clothes say about you? What story does the clothes you consume today say for your family? For future generations?
• What were the types of crafts that your ancestors spent time doing? If you don't know, how can you learn more?

Learn More

• Read how leading contemporary artists are paying homage to the pioneering quilters of Gee’s Bend (Artsy)
• Learn how the Souls Grown Deep Foundation is "directly investing in Alabama communities where artists and quilters live, work — and struggle" (NYTimes)
• Read how the quilters of Gee's Bend found themselves fighting for their intellectual property (The Nation)
• Learn more about the history of African-American quilting, and other quiltmakers transforming the industry (Arts Help)

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