When I saw the quilts of Gee's Bend in an exhibit at the de Young Museum a few years ago, I was most intrigued by their exuberance. I saw great spontaneity and joy in so many of those quilts, and I have to say that I was not a little envious of the creativity with which these poor rural women created these works of art. How I wish I could allow myself to express my work so freely! And yet, they had almost nothing with which to work. By that I mean that they used up every scrap of fabric and thread that they had, and many of those quilts were made from old work clothes. Need I say that those were my favorites?
The ladies of Gee's Bend, Alabama quilted to keep their families warm, and nothing else. Many of the quilts were burned when they were deemed to have reached the end of their useful lives.
I feel so privileged to have been able to see these wonderful works of art.
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