Gee’s Bend Quilt ©Malgorzata Florkowska
In Gee’s Bend Alabama, black women of a small rural community, quite separated from the rest of the world, created an exceptional form of art. Using scrap materials, and often used pieces of clothing, they undertook quilt making that goes back for more than a century, and is rooted in African American culture.
The quilts kept their families warm during cold winter nights, they were piled up over a person during time of sickness, they were great protection from drafts common to the log cabin houses in which they lived.
Using colors and shapes, the women of Gee’s Bend created original graphic designs inspired by the culture, songs, and stories that they shared while quilting together.
Gee’s Bend quilts lift your spirit with the beauty of their design and sometimes faded but glorious colors. They are the best example of how artistry combined with utility creates something that transcends both.
Money from quilts sold provided income as well as paid legal fees for jailed civil right activists.
By now hundreds of Gee’s Bend quilts have been made. I had the opportunity to photograph some of them.
Bio
Malgorzata Florkowska, native of Poland, has been pursuing photography for the last 16 years. Her photographs are in the permanent collection of Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Arts Clayton, Georgia, as well as The Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Photography Collection. Her images have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in galleries around Atlanta. She is a frequent contributor to SxSE Gallery and Slowexposures. She published two books: Joy of Farming and Walking Through History.
Contact Information
Malgorzata Florkowska
maflorko@gmail
