Gee's Bend Quilts and Beyond:
Louisiana Bendolph, Mary Lee Bendolph, Thornton Dial & Lonnie Holley
Bartlett Wing
November 16, 2007 to May 11, 2008
This exhibition takes an in-depth look at the creative vision of a master quilt-maker, Mary Lee Bendolph, and the intersecting artistic worlds in which she participates. This exhibit examines Bendolph's inspiration and creative process as well as her profound connection to the cultural practices and expressive traditions from which her work arises. Twelve dramatically designed, richly colored, improvisational quilts created by Mary Lee Bendolph and her family members; her mother Aolar Mosely, her daughter, Essie B. Pettway, and her daughter-in-law Louisiana P. Bendolph, are presented alongside complex and evocative found object sculptures by noted African American self-taught artists Thornton Dial and visionary "yard art" artist Lonnie Holley. Intaglio prints by Mary Lee Bendolph and her daughter-in-law Louisiana P. Bendolph, (Photo above: Mary Lee Bendolph in front of the intaglio print "To Honor Mr. Dial") along with documentary films about all of the artists provide further context for their creative exchange. As the deep social and aesthetic networks of these six artists intersect, they give rise to new pathways of artistic influence, resulting in a power mixture of communal and individual creative energies.

The exhibition is presented by Fidelity Investments. The exhibition catalogue is sponsored by Anderson Rogers Foundation. The exhibition is co-organized by the Austin Museum of Art» and Tinwood Alliance» of Atlanta. At the Museum of International Folk Art, the exhibition and programs are made possible with generous support from the International Folk Art Foundation, the Museum of New Mexico Foundation» , and the Folk Art Committee.

Textile Resources | NM Fiber Arts Trails|2004 Quilts|Curriculum

Gee's Bend Quilts and Beyond
Knoxville Museum of Art» July 10, to September 21, 2008

Loveland Museum/Gallery» November 15, 2008 to February 8, 2009

Missouri Historical Society April 12 - September 13, 2009

Berman Museum of World History» October 2, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Flint Institute of Arts» January 23 - April 18, 2010





Public Programs:

Friday November 16, 2007
5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Opening reception hosted by the Women's Board of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation with live jazz by Crosscurrent. Admission is free!

Sunday, November 18, 2007
2:00 p.m.
Join Matt Arnett, Vanessa Vadim and Jane Fonda as they discuss Gee's Bend and the documentary films in the exhibition. By museum admission, New Mexico residents with I.D. free every Sunday.

Photo, right: Louisiana P. Bendolph
Housetop Variation, 2003. Cotton, 90 x 81 inches, Collection of the the Tinwood Alliance.

Saturday December 1, 2007
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Museum of New Mexico Foundation Gift Shops present selected artists from the New Mexico Fiber Arts Trail» Quilt Show and Sale in the Museum auditorium. See Newspaper Ad »

Sunday December 2, 2007
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Museum of New Mexico Foundation Gift Shops present selected artists from the New Mexico Fiber Arts Trail» Quilt Show and Sale in the Museum auditorium.

Sunday, January 20, 2008
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Martin Luther King Holiday Program.
Gallery Talk with artist Mary Lee Bendolph Gallery Talk, co-sponsored by the Textile Arts Alliance, and join artist Lonnie Holley at 2 p.m. for a participatory sculpture project. By Museum admission, New Mexico residents FREE on Sundays!

Photo, left to right: Mary Lee Bendoph, Lonnie Holley and Mary Lee Bendolph. Bartlett Wing exhibition, Museum of International Folk Art, January 2008.


Monday, January 21, 2008
Museum closed
Visiting Artists will be attending the Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Capitol Rotunda, please visit http://www.santafenm.gov

Inaugural Lecture
Contemporary
African American Art
and Identity Lecture Series
Sunday, February 3, 2008
3:00 pm
Dr. Leslie King-Hammond, Dean of Graduate Studies, Maryland Institute College of Art, on the Quilters of Gee's Bend. First in the Contemporary African American Art & Identity Series.

Sunday, March 2, 2008
3:00 pm
Sarah E. Lewis, Visiting Professor, Yale University School of Art, on African American Photography. This lecture is cosponsored by the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum» and is the second in the Contemporary African American Art & Identity Series. By Museum Admission, New Mexico residents with I.D. free on Sundays.

Photo above, right: Mary Lee Bendolph, Untitled, 2003. Collection of Tinwoood Alliance.


Sunday March 30, 2008
1 to 4 p.m.
Quilting Demonstration
The Chimayo Valley quilters will demonstrate and discuss how to make baby welcoming quilts. The simple block construction highlights diverse quilting techniques including appliqué, embroidery and traditional patterns. All use recycled fabric scraps and include the child's name and date of birth. The quilts are filled with polyester batting, backed with pinwhale corduroy and tied with colorful yarn. Instructions for making baby-welcoming quilts will be available during the demonstration. Photo above: Chimayo Valley Quilters, 2004. By Museum admission, New Mexico residents FREE on Sundays!


ART ON THE HILL!
OPEN LATE & FREE
Wednesday May 7, 2008
5:00 to 7:30 p.m.. Gee's Bend Quilts & Beyond gallery talk with Annie Carlano, Curator of North American and European Collections, Museum of International Folk Art begins at 6 p.m. Concessions available from Walter Burke Catering, of the Museum Hill Cafe. Enjoy exhibitions at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture», the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art» and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian». Free first Wednesdays continue on Museum Hill through October!

Photo, above: Mary Lee Bendolph, Work-clothes Quilt, 2002, denim and cotton, 97 x 88 inches. Collections of Tinwood Alliance.



Contemporary African American
Art and Identity Lecture Series
The Museum of International Folk Art, The Textile Arts Alliance and The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum present a series of lectures. All three lectures are on Sunday afternoon in the Museum Auditorium, and are by Museum admission New Mexico Residents with I.D. Admitted Free every Sunday. Photo, Left:
Lonnie Holley
Support for the Burning Spirit
1987
Paper roll, crutches, coat hangers, burned cloth.
52.5 x 23 x 15.5 inches
Collection of the Tinwood Alliance

Sunday, May 11, 2008
3:00 pm
Randall Morris, Independent Scholar, New York, on African American Vernacular Artists. Final lecture in the Contemporary African Art & Identity Series; FINAL DAY TO SEE THIS EXHIBITION IN SANTA FE! By Museum admission, New Mexico residents FREE on Sundays!

Textile Resources | NM Fiber Arts Trails|2004 Quilts|Curriculum