The Georgia Museum of Art is holding an exhibition of Mary Lee Bendolph’s work from October 5 to December 29, 2019. The exhibition includes 17 Bendolph works that have been produced during the last four decades of her career, along with many events that are focused on the significance of quilting in the Gee’s Bend community.
Along with the exhibition, there will be documentaries on Gee’s Bend, quilting demonstrations, singing, and more. Bendolph, herself, along with other quilt makers and residents of the Gee’s Bend community will be present during some events. Several opportunities for people of all ages will be presented.
Callan Steinmann, curator of education at the museum, played a key role in planning hands-on experiences to help visitors connect with the exhibition. “We are excited to be able to incorporate some interactive educational elements in the exhibition that invite visitor response and personal connection. One display will show visitors the stages of creating a quilt, from cutting and piecing to quilting and binding. Part of this section will also include a small touchable quilt sample, which I think is such a nice component to be able to have as part of this show. Quilts are such a warm, tactile medium, and we wanted to give visitors the opportunity to experience a quilt through their sense of touch. Our hope is that by understanding how quilts are created, and getting to touch the sample, visitors can connect to the other quilts in the exhibition in a deeper way. The visitor response station will also invite audiences to post their family memories and traditions on a ‘shared memories’ display, which we hope will foster a sense of shared community with other visitors and with the works of art on the wall,” says Steinmann.
These events provide opportunities to not only view pieces of art history, but to learn valuable lessons from the people of Gee’s Bend. Never feeling a need to choose one over the other, Bendolph has embraced opportunities to promote the quilt-making experience as well as civil rights. She has also been an advocate for women’s empowerment, community building, personal devotion and more. The amount of zeal present in the Gee’s Bend community is what prompts locals to never give up on what they believe in, and to also enjoy themselves in the process.
Related events at the museum include:
− a quilting demonstration with Bendolph and other Gee’s Bend quilters on October 4 at 11 a.m.
− a screening of “While I Yet Live,” a short documentary directed by Maris Curran (and produced by Curran and Jon Coplon) on the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, followed by a panel discussion focusing on the intersections of quilting, craft and African American culture, featuring quilt makers from Gee’s Bend and moderated by Harris on October 4 at 3:30 p.m.
− 90 Carlton: Autumn, the museum’s quarterly reception, on October 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (free for current members, $10 for Friends of the Museum and Supporters, $15 for Not Yet Friends; galleries open until 8:30 p.m.)
− a musical performance, “Appalachian Spring: Music Exploring Regional Identity and Race,” designed and conducted by David Stanley, master’s student in conducting at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, on October 13 at 3 p.m.
− Art Cart (After Class), a drop-in program for children, on October 16 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
− a screening of the documentary “The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend” on October 24 at 7 p.m.
− a Toddler Tuesday on November 5 at 10 a.m. (space is limited; register with madison.hogan@uga.edu or 706.542.4883 after October 1)
− a public tour on November 5 at 2 p.m.
− the museum’s annual Holbrook Lecture, by Alvia Wardlaw, on November 7 at 5:30 p.m. (a UGA Signature Lecture)
− a Teen Studio on November 14 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (space is limited; register with madison.hogan@uga.edu or 706.542.4883)
− a Family Day on November 16 from 10 a.m. to noon as part of the campus-wide Spotlight on the Arts Family Day
− a Faculty Perspectives talk with Jennifer Crenshaw, assistant professor of art and area chair for fabric design at UGA, on November 19 at 2 p.m.
− a quilt-making workshop on December 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. ($20 materials fee; register at 706.542.4883 or madison.hogan@uga.edu)
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Authored by:
Giselle Brannam
