This exhibition presents a collection of quilts created by African American women from the Gee's Bend community, highlighting a 200-year legacy of improvisational style and abstract design. The works illustrate the transmission of creative skills between mothers and daughters while reflecting the resilience and cultural history of the region.
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This exhibition celebrates the extraordinary 200-year tradition of quilt-making by African American women from the Gee's Bend community in Alabama. The collection highlights the intergenerational relationships and artistic legacy of these women, showcasing quilts renowned for their bold colours, abstract designs, and improvisational style.
Kith & Kin: the Quilts of Gee's Bend offers a rare opportunity to engage with the unique artistic heritage of a remote river island community. Through the quilts of mothers and daughters, including Mary Lee Bendolph, Essie Bendolph Pettway, and others, the exhibition illuminates the intergenerational transmission of skill and creativity. These works are celebrated not only for their aesthetic qualities—frequently compared to modernist movements like abstract expressionism—but also for their role as symbols of resilience, self-sufficiency, and Black empowerment. Co-organised by the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and Souls Grown Deep, this exhibition serves as a vital record of African American cultural history. By grounding the quilts in the social context of the civil rights movement and the daily realities of an economically deprived region, the exhibition highlights the profound connection between the women's creative practice and their fight for dignity and recognition. The presentation at the American Museum & Gardens stands as the only UK showing of this significant collection.
Admission to this exhibition is included with general museum admission tickets. Visitors are encouraged to book their tickets online via the museum's website to access the exhibition along with the museum, gardens, and other facilities. Please refer to the official opening times and admission page for further details on your visit planning.
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