The Furious Spinner

And now if you want to be inspired and buoyed, watch The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend. These women take pieces of the cloth—pieces of their lives—and sew them together to make art.

We had the good fortune to see many of the quilts shown in this documentary in San Francisco, at the Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibit, on the last day of the exhibit. Another exhibit is now touring the country, Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. (Go to the bottom of this article and you'll see the schedule. Maybe it's coming to a museum or art gallery near you.) One curator on the film said that these quilts call into question our definition of genius. It is amazing to me what people can do despite poverty and great hardship—how creativity springs forth despite all. Sometimes it seems as natural as breathing to us.

The quiltmakers all talked about their faith. As I watched these women, I was amazed and impressed by their fortitude and lack of rancor. I don't understand their belief in god. Any god I believe in would have to get me out of the trouble they have seen, I gotta tell ya. But I said to Mario, "Maybe they don't pray to Jesus because they think he'll make it all better. Maybe they pray to Jesus because they feel as though he loves them."

I found out about the Gee's Bend quilts after I wrote Grand Mother Yemaya Mermaid & the 13 Quilts. My mother used to win awards for her superb skill as a seamstress. She taught my father to quilt, and he makes us beautiful quilts. Maybe someday they will teach me how to do it.

If you want an example of how to turn a life into a work of art, you might want to find out more about these women and their quilts.

Labels: photos, quilts

All photographs and written material copyright © 2003-2008 by Kim Antieau unless otherwise indicated. May not be used without permission.