Gee's Bend and Beyond

Categories: In the News , Local Interest , Staff Picks , Nonfiction , African American , Arts & Crafts

I noticed in the newspaper the other day,  the Gee's Bend quilts are going to be on display in Indianapolis starting in October of this year.  The Gee's Bend exhibition has brought a spotlight onto African American quilting in the United States like never before.  These beautiful abstract quilts have been traveling the country for almost four years now, garnering critical acclaim and generating amazing public discussion.  The book, The Quilts of Gee's Bend, is a gorgeous view of the quilts and their makers.

I have a particular respect for African American quilting because it was an African American quilter's work that really got me interested in quilts as art.  Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold was a major inspiration to me.  It's a children's book, but I was already halfway grown when it came out.  Still, the idea of telling a story through a quilt snagged me.  Ringgold's work is so visually rich, it's hard not to be captivated.  For a more adult take on her, as well as a lot more examples of her work, try Dancing at the Louvre.

If you want to learn more about African-American quilting and quilters, here are a few more books and websites you might like to peruse:

Books:

• A Communion of the Spirits:  African American quilters, preservers and their stories
• Spirits of the Cloth:  Contemporary African American Quilts
• Quilt Inspiration from Africa:  A caravan of ideas, patterns, motifs and techniques

Websites: 

A Directory to African American Quilt History Websites
African American Art Quilters
QuiltEthnic.com's links to contemporary African American quilters