With Ian still in school till tomorrow, Emma and I had a chance to hang out a little on Tuesday. Lunch, pedicures, and book store browsing all followed a trip to Pioneer Square to see Gee's Bend quilter Loretta Bennett's quilts on exhibit at the Greg Kucera Gallery. I had never seen a Gee's Bend quilt in person and I was not going to miss this exhibit.
These phone pics really don't do these quilts justice, the lighting in the gallery does not translate well. You really have to see them in person to get the true feel for them. Every stitch done by hand. This is true American folk art, people who used whatever they had to keep themselves warm. In the midst of hardship and poverty were quilts like these, full of color, meaning, and a way for the women who sewed them to express themselves creatively.
More information about the history and present day Gee's Bend here, and a catalog of quilts from Gee's Bend here.
The exhibit runs through June 30th.
