Honoring the Legacy of Black Craft

In 1800, in Wilcox County, Alabama—which is nestled within a remote bend of the Alabama River—a group of rural enslaved women began quilting.

Although their work served a practical function, it carried a much deeper significance, rooted in African traditions brought to America by those forcibly taken from their homelands. Quilt-making is a cultural heritage practice that persisted despite enslavement, evolving into a form of artistic expression, historical preservation and, at times, a means of survival.

The artistry of the Gee’s Bend Quilters has only recently begun to gain the widespread recognition it deserves. Like so many creative activities historically practiced by women and people of color, quilting was once relegated to the realm of the “decorative” and perceived as less important than fine art.

However, quilters themselves have known the cultural and historical importance of their work for centuries. For those familiar with the Underground Railroad, the debated history of quilt codes is well known. It is said that “safe houses” were often indicated by quilts hung on clotheslines or in windows, with different motifs and designs guiding enslaved people on the run towards safety or away from danger.

Crafts have long been an integral part of how people preserve stories, teach, learn, and express themselves across cultures. Beyond providing warmth, protection and comfort, we can think of quilts as physical embodiments of memories and shared experiences weaved together and preserved over time.

A quilt may have sentimental value, passed down through generations, with remnants of different family member’s handiwork stitched into the fabric. It is often an amalgamation of materials and memories from different people, places and time periods, sewn together to form a whole.

A quilt may be embroidered with unique and intricate designs, with complimentary colors stitched together to reveal untold stories, myths and memories. Perhaps a quilt has a purely aesthetic function, its beauty triggering our brains to release a little hit of dopamine each time we catch a glimpse of the blanket, lazily flung over the bottom of our bed or the back of our couch. But how often do we think of quilts as artworks, living histories, tools for storytelling, activism, political resistance and learning?

In the Getty Library’s Whitney and Lee Kaplan African American Visual Culture Collection, you can find an expansive selection of books on Black craft. See what histories of quilting lie within the pages of these books, waiting to be shared:

African American Quilting: The Warmth of Tradition, by Sule Greg C. Wilson

A comprehensive introduction to the art of quilting, African American Quilting: The Warmth of Tradition offers readers an overview of quilting traditions and aesthetics in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.

This book opens the door to many avenues of exploration, from foundational definitions of quilting to detailed descriptions of intricate patterns, and anecdotal insights into the specific meanings of quilting colors and patterns in different parts of Africa. In just 64 pages, readers learn how to “read” and appreciate African American quilts and gain a transformed perspective and a deeper appreciation for this precious and expansive craft.

The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, by Susan Goldman Rubin

Told through vibrant images of quilts and direct quotes from the quilters, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend illuminates the rich history of the Alabama pioneers of Black quilt-making. Author Susan Goldman Rubin highlights the intergenerational learning woven into the practice: just as you may associate a certain memory with a recipe you learned from your mother (who learned from your grandmother, who learned from her mother) there is emotion embedded in learning a craft that has survived and flourished across generations.

Today, when so much of our clothing and household items are mass-produced, it is easy to become disconnected from the knowledge, meaning, and legacy rooted in the objects that make up our lives. Learning about the tradition of quilting offers one way to reconnect with this sense of significance.

The Freedom Quilting Bee: Folk Art and the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, by Nancy Callahan

Nancy Callahan tells the story of a women’s quilting collective founded in Alabama in 1966. Without detracting from the beauty of the craft, Callahan identifies The Freedom Quilting Bee as as much about civil rights as art—and an element of the Civil Rights Movement that is often left out of history.

we flew over the bridge: the memoirs of Faith Ringgold, by Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold is undeniably one of the most well‐known figures in the history of Black craft. we flew over the bridge is a memoir by the Harlem‐born multimedia artist, best known for her narrative quilts. Beginning with her birth in the 1930s, the book follows Ringgold through her journeys with men, marriage, and motherhood as well as making art and teaching art. It includes content ranging from baby photos of her daughters to critiques of the racism embedded in the art world across the decades to photographs of her diverse artistic outputs, including quilts, masks, sculptures, dolls, and performance.

Through this text, readers embark on an intimate journey with the renowned maker and gain insight into the mind of the creative legacy. In another quilting book featured in the Kaplan Collection, Dancing at the Louvre: Faith Ringgold’s French Collection and Other Story Quilts, Ringgold is described as “a force” with an “opulent physical presence” and a commitment to dancing—even in the “great Western temples of culture” like museums, where it may be frowned upon.

The Whitney and Lee Kaplan African American Visual Culture Collection is part of the Getty Research Institute’s ongoing bibliographic and archival acquisitions for the African American Art History Initiative.