THE GEE S BEND TRADITION

Transcription

1 EXHIBIT THE GEE S BEND TRADITION On view at The Lehman Gallery, Bronx, New York, lehman.edu/gallery T see The exhibit is on view through April S P R I N G 2015 he Lehman Art Gallery, at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, is currently exhibiting fourteen contemporary quilts and eight limited-edition etchings made by the Gee s Bend quilters. An African-American community located southwest of Selma, Alabama, the group has a tradition of quilt making dating back to the 19th ors, the abandoning of traditional grid design and the recycling of materials speak to the individuality become highly prized by collectors and museums, are recognizable by compositions [that] vary widely from minimalist constructions to intricately pieced geometries often with unpredictable sequences of patterns, bold colors...their inventive improvisa- tions suggest jazz riffs and bring to mind the innovations of 20th century modernism, according to curator and exhibition organizer Susan Hoeltzel. Since their rise to prominence in the 1920s, the quilters of Gee s Bend (known as Boykin since 1949) have gone from making items of necessity to creating timeless works of art. As is the tradition with all quilt making, the women of Gee s Bend assembled their works from discarded pieces of cloth, and their works were essential objects to the inhabitants of the unheated Roosevelt houses built for them in the 1930s.

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4 Louisiana Bendolph History, 2007 Softground aquatint 27 3/4 x 34 1/2 inches Edition # 17/50 Courtesy of Paulson Bott Press Loretta Bennett Blues, 2007 Softground spitbite aquatint etching 42 3/4 x 31 inches Edition # 23/50 Courtesy of Paulson Bott Press Loretta Bennett Wrapped in Denim, 2014 Quilted fabric 84 X 84 inches Courtesy of Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle Typically comprised of a variety of recycled fabrics that carry memories associated with the previous owner and with personal connections to friends and family, these magnificent quilts feature used clothing [as] an aesthetic choice. Working both as individuals and in groups, the women of Gee s Bend established a distinctive style, sometimes working from sketches, other times improvisationally. Today the quilters awareness of the role their pieces hold in the contemporary art world means they are conceived as works meant to displayed, like paintings, on the wall. an exhibition are contemporary works; for example, Loretta Bennett s Wrapped in Denim of 2014 is an intricate quilt of vibrant colors at the center which mute into the blues of faded denim as they radiate out. of the free form that typifies the Gee s and underlying layers work as patches across the surface of this vibrant quilt. Bennett also demonstrates her love of color and her success in adapting quilt making into etching with her aquatint Blues, of Her ability to move the viewer s eye in and out of the composition is sophisticated and indicates an innate understanding of color theory. Louisiana Bendolph s History, of 2007, illustrates another example of a quilter s transition from one media to blue and a strategic black stripe in her aquatint are not the work of a simple seamstress but the result of a knowing and intrinsically savvy artist. Lastly, the complex quilt by Tinnie Dell Pettway titled Gee s Bend Tradition, of 2005, harkens to a work she almost certainly has never seen, Piet Mondrian s Broadway Boogie Woogie, movement and intensity of the design are not merely eye catching but also the output of a seriously devised plan successfully carried out. 9

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 THE GEE S BEND TR ADITION An exhibit of contemporary quilts 10 DAVID BOHNETT The perfect philanthropist 16 HELEN MOLESWORTH A self-described feminist curator 22 ARTISTS DRINKING BEER A conversation with Iva Gueorguieva and Liat Yossifor 32 GORDON PARKS Segregation Story photo essay TR ANSFORMATIVE GIFTS Hits and misses in museum donations MY FIR ST TIME With Wall Street Journal Arts Editor Eric Gibson Artwork: Tinnie Dell Pettway, Gee s Bend Tradition, 2009 Quilted fabric, 79 x 82 inches, Courtesy of That s Sew Gee s Bend 4 A word from the editor 38 The Schnitzer Collection 48 Bruce Nauman 50 Nathalie du Pasquier 54 Madame Cézanne 62 Perspective 63 Contributors 3