Beautifully illustrated with 110 color illustrations, the quilts of gee s bend includes a historical overview of the two hundred years of extraordinary quiltmaking in this africanamerican community, its people, and their artmaking tradition. Learned recently that martin luther king went to this small town and preached there shortly before his death dont know full story on why he went to this spot. The quilts of gees bend are quilts created by a group of women and their ancestors who live or have lived in the isolated africanamerican hamlet of gees bend, alabama along the alabama river. Since the 19th century, the women of gee s bend in southern alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts.
The books 330 color illustrations and insightful text bring home the exciting experience to readers while displaying all the cultural heritage and craftsmanship that have gone into these remarkable quilts. Ive been lucky enough to visit gees bend and see the quiltmaking process. The people of gees bend, alabama faced slavery, sharecropping, the great depression, flood, and a racist sheriff who cut off essential ferry access to the community. Gees bend is a isolated african american hamlet where the quilting tradition goes back to the 19th century when it was a cotton plantation owned by joseph gees. In the postbellum years and into the 20th century the gees bend women made quilts to keep themselves and their children warm in the unheated shacks where they lived. The book is filled with social history of this small place near selma, alabama. Each quilt is both the signature of individual and the banner of their community. Six of youngs quilts, together with 64 by other gee s bend residents, have been traveling around the united states in an exhibition that has transformed the way many people think about art. Beautifully illustrated with 110 color illustrations, the quilts of gees bend includes a historical overview of the two hundred years of extraordinary quiltmaking in this africanamerican community, its people, and their artmaking tradition. It includes a ninepatch center block surrounded by pieced strips. The architecture of the quilt is a major book and museum exhibition that will premiere at the museum of fine arts, houston mfah, in june 2006 before traveling to seven american museums through 2008. In the only photoessay book about the quilts of gees bend for children, awardwinning author susan goldman rubin explores the history and culture of this fascinating group of women and their unique quilting traditions. Since the early nineteenth century, the women of gees bend in southern alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. The book on the gees bend quilts is great these quilts from a very impoverished and isolated region are so unexpected and very modern.