»The Quilts of Gee's Bend«

Boykin, also known as Gee's Bend, is a remote village in the US state of Alabama. This isolated place is the center of Gee's Bend Quilts, which have become internationally renowned and have been compared in their design to everything from Henri Matisse to minimalism. The artists are descended from slaves, and their tradition of quilt-making began in hardship and poverty: they used scraps of fabric from old work clothes and flour sacks for their quilts to keep warm at night during the winter in their unheated huts. Even though the artists now have a wider selection of fabrics to choose from, recycling old fabrics remains a central part of their work. The craft has been passed down through the generations. The quilts are particularly valued for their unusual color choices and abstract designs. Since they gained greater attention in 2002 through an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, they have been shown in exhibitions around the world and belong to more than 40 museum collections o three continents. Politically and historically, they reflect resilience and independence, as they were created out of necessity in an economically disadvantaged, racially segregated region. The civil rights movement drew attention to these artists, who became symbols of black emancipation and cultural pride. In collaboration with the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin and the American non-profit organization Souls Grown Deep, the American Museum in Britain in Bath is presenting the quilts in the United Kingdom: Kith & Kin: the Quilts of Gee's Bend runs from February 14 to June 21.

The quilts are both a tribute to African American heritage and a testament to the strength and creativity of women in the face of systemic oppression. The exhibition aims to honor their contribution to art and preserve their legacy for future generations. The exhibition focuses in particular on the artists Mary Lee Bendolph (born 1935), Essie Bendolph Pettway (born 1956), Rita Mae Pettway (born 1941), Louisiana P. Bendolph (born 1960), Qunnie Pettway (1943–2010), Loretta Pettway Bennett (born 1960), and Sally Mae Pettway Mixon (born 1965). To this day, many residents of Gee's Bend bear the surname Pettway, after Mark Harwell Pettway, who ran a cotton plantation in the region until the end of the Civil War. Slaves at that time were forced to take the surname of their owner.