Art in Depth: Gee’s Bend Quilters

There have been hundreds of quilts created in Gee’s Bend, Alabama since the early 20th century, and these masterpieces have become some of the most iconic textiles of the American South. To create them, the quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend draw upon creative vision, patterns from the world around them, and African American quilting traditions, which have been passed down by generations of Gee’s Bend women. These traditions emerged from the necessity of keeping families warm in unheated quarters and homes, so the quilts were seen as functional objects rather than works of art. However, functional though they are, they are also imbued with meaning and full of bold compositions and skillful improvisations. These quilting traditions also showcase resourcefulness in materials with the use of recycled fabric remnants, feed sacks, and well-worn clothes. The visible stains, discoloration, and fading of these reclaimed materials all serve as reminders of the life the fabrics lived before they became quilts.  

Art historians, curators, and collectors now recognize the work of Gee’s Bend quilters as essential to the history of American art. The permanent collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts houses the work of thirteen Gee’s Bend quilters: Jennie Pettway, Nettie Young, Louella Pettway, Lucy T. Pettway, Ruth Kennedy, Creola Bennett Pettway, Linda Pettway, Nell Hall Williams, Mary Lee Bendolph, Rita Mae Pettway, Loretta Pettway, Linda Diane Bennett, and Louisiana Bendolph. 

Gee’s Bend, later named Boykin, is located about forty-four miles southwest of Selma. Bounded on three sides by the Alabama River, it is both isolated and rural with a population of roughly 700 people. This geographical isolation has provided the area with a rare degree of cultural continuity. This is visually evident in the community’s extraordinary quilts which are renowned for their artistry and quality.

In the early 1800s, Gee’s Bend was the site of a cotton plantation owned by Joseph Gee from whom the area got its name. In 1845, Gee’s plantation was acquired by Mark Pettway who expanded the enslaved labor force in Gee’s Bend to over 100 people. 

With the conclusion of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the end of slavery, many of the emancipated people remained in the Gee’s Bend area and became tenant farmers. Today, the residents of Gee’s Bend are primarily descendants of enslaved workers and many still bear the Pettway name.

In 2018, thirteen quilts entered the permanent collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts through the work of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation. The quilts, made between 1945 and 2006, were each created by a different Gee’s Bend artist, and they have become an integral part of the museum’s holdings of Modern and Contemporary Art. Their importance is intentionally highlighted in the galleries by featuring them alongside other key works of art. For example, some of the quilts are displayed, on a rotating basis, in the museum’s Lewis 20th Century Galleries where they can be found in visual conversation with works such as Brice Marden’s painting Meritatio or Sol LeWitt’s sculpture titled 1 2 3 4 5 6.

Consider this image which documents the display of Jennie Pettway’s quilt Housetop (single block) Courthouse Steps. In what ways does this display make sense to you? What curiosities arise?

Though Pettway’s artistic training differed greatly from the academically trained Marden and LeWitt, we can begin to recognize through this display that there are visual similarities and shared artistic sensibilities amongst their work that are worth exploring. Imagine if these three artists were to meet. What ideas would they share? Consider:

• How might they look at and think about each other’s artwork?
• What ideas might they recognize in each other’s artwork?
• What might they point to in their own work that demonstrates their thoughts and intentions?