Well, in the interest of truth over PC, I have to say that this is an ugly quilt.
And so is this.
And yet these quilts, with many others made by the women of Gee's Bend in Alabama, have been exhibited in prestigious museums, sold for noteworthy sums, and praised by the foremost art critics. The U.S. Postal Service even issued a series of Gee's Bend Quilt stamps.
Most of you probably know the story of the women of Gee's Bend and their quilts, sewn from worn clothing and factory offcuts to keep their families warm. The quilts are, at best, primitive in their design and construction, yet the praise for them has at times verged on the hysterical, if not downright ridiculous.New York Times art critic, Michael Kimmelman, called them "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced".
Others spoke of "ravishingly minimal blocks of beige, brown, black and red corduroy" with "irregular quilting stitches wandering triumphantly in dotted lines across fields of colour" and 
"recycled denim creating panels of skyscapes and clouds, the faded knee patches immortalising hours of toil in the fields."
"The Quilts of Gee's Bend" (Tinwood Books, Atlanta, Georgia) tells the story of this small settlement and the women who made quilts there. Many of their stories are poignant and courageous, and one can only rejoice that they have gained recognition in the wider world, and a ready market for their work after generations of struggle.But, is it really Art?
To my eye, yes it is art. I have seen the Gee's Bend quilts in person. Not each one is beautiful,but they have a life, originality and sense of intention that lifts them above the ordinary quilt. And some are stunning! That one, above, that is the first one below the block of stamps. That one is incredible.
ReplyDeleteOne of my quilts was on tour with the Gees bend quilts last year - buggered if I know why - but I didn't bother going to see them.
ReplyDeleteI find the story of the women who made them quite touching, but art ? They were working with limited skills and limited materials and made do.
End of story
I appreciate your honesty. I don't find this type of quilt art, but then again there is other "art" that I find disturbing and not of my style.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, their work and their use of what they had is worthy of the "fame" that has come their way.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we can't always be the judge of what qualifies as art.
Hugs
Thank you. When I read the sentence ending "yet the praise for them has at times verged on the hysterical, if not downright ridiculous" I wanted to applaud. The quilters of Gee's Bend make do with what was available, and made items which were primarily practical to meet their families' needs, but art? I don't think so. (I think I remember reading a book once that claimed if an item had any practical usage, ipso facto, it couldn't be art.) The critics also seem to revere the catty-wampus edges as some kind of design statement, whereas I see them as crooked, out-of square quilts that just turned out that way.
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