Blocks
Date2003
Label TextOne of twelve children of poor sharecroppers, Young was born in the rural south in a community called “African Alabama,” near Gees Bend, Alabama. Making quilts from worn, discarded clothing, she rejected the common vocabulary of precise, small-piece sewing in favor of large compositions set in a pulsating field, bold and seemingly off-kilter. The kinetic presentation of colors, shapes, and textures, including corduroy from Sears, Roebuck and Co., seems inspired by the call and response musical conversations of African music that was transported to the American south. In southern spirituals and church music, phrases initiated by the pastor are followed by reciprocal replies, all often focused on the subject of sin and redemption. Aspects of these musical exchanges were also adopted by blues artists, such as B.B. King, whose singing, playing, and calling to the audience provoke emotional experiences.
Some rules are meant to be broken. Take the perfect pinwheel or the balanced log cabin. Both are standard designs that quilters might follow to order their compositions. In a small community at the bend of a river in Alabama, however, women invent their own rules. Annie Mae Young is one of the master quilters from this area who have become extremely well known for the unique visual organization of their works. Some see these quilts as glorifying confusion, perhaps to keep evil from approaching whoever sleeps underneath them. Others see this style as refined visual exuberance. You can decide for yourself in the following pages about Annie Mae Young and the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective.
Object number2005.199
ProvenanceAnnie Mae Young, artist; Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 2005
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
I never did like the book patterns some people had. Those things had too many little bitty blocks...However I get them, that's how I used them….
Annie Mae Young, 2002, <i>The Quilts of Gee's Bend</i>
Credit LineGeneral Acquisition Fund, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions90 1/2 x 74 in. (229.9 x 188 cm.)
MediumQuilted fabric
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