Take the informal grid design in maroon and dark blue by Annie Mae Young (b. 1928). Of course there’s a pattern to it–patterning is the heart of quilt making. But where does the visual wit come from to distribute the maroon shafts in such a clever way (with, for instance, one on the left balanced by a sudden insertion of railroad denim)? Not from Bauhaus Design 101, but from the artist’s own sophisticated imagination. The same holds true for the unique and painterly (think Helen Frankenthaler) glimpse of turquoise at the bottom of Young’s masterpiece. “Gee’s Bend” is filled with artists who have the liveliness and style to match Young: Mary Lee Bendolph (b. 1935), Jessie Pettway (b. 1929), Flora Moore (b. 1951) and 42 others. The only down note about the show is that quilting in Gee’s Bend–which may get regular ferry service soon, ending its artistically fertile isolation–is on the wane. That’s a pity. When something this good is produced by a single community for so long and so consistently, it ought to be nurtured to the max. Let’s hope that this exhibition can help–but without somehow ruining the earthy way of life in Gee’s Bend that seems essential to its remarkable art.
