artistry we take for
granted
HAVE QUILT WILL TRAVEL
[I’m
talking about crafts as a creative art, but all too often summarily
dismissed, that give us pleasure in our homes. Objects that,
although of great beauty, are taken for granted as less important
because they are utilitarian and therefore not considered art.
We can derive great pleasure from these lovely objects, be it
a well turned bowl or pitcher, a carving, a hand woven basket
or an intricate, finely stitched quilt. We give even less thought,
for the most part, to the creative artists who craft these objects
so masterfully. Those artists take their works every bit as
seriously as ‘fine artists’ whose work is framed
and hung. It is for this reason that I was dismayed to hear
about a law
suit recently filed against the Arnett Family,
who with the blessings of the local quilt makers, have written
books, created documentaries, documented the quilts of
Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective, curated
museum exhibitions and organized programs that have introduced
the women quilt makers and their art to the world. The lawsuit
brought against the Arnetts negatively impacts the quilters
by impeding sales and cancelling exhibitions. Dindy Yokel, who
represents the quilters, tells it as she sees it. Lydia Schrufer,
Arts Editor].
WHAT IS BUILT BY MANY
MAY BE DESTROYED BY THE FEW
by
DINDY YOKEL
Hillary
Clinton wrote, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
And in Gee’s Bend it takes a village to create a body
of art work spanning five generations. The quilts created by
the women of Gee’s Bend have gone from beds to museums
and gallery walls in less than a decade thanks to the dedication
and selfless commitment of one family -- the Arnetts of Atlanta,
Georgia. 
But
with the blink of an eye, three women have brought shame, lawsuits
and loss of income to this tiny hamlet in rural Alabama, "alleging
they have been inadequately compensated from royalty agreements."
In
the 2nd quarter of 2007, Annie Mae Young and Loretta Pettway,
two former members of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective,
filed lawsuits*
against the Arnetts. Not long after they were joined by Lucinda
Franklin Pettway of Mobile, Alabama, who is neither a quilter
nor resident of Gee’s Bend, but a descendant of a quilter.
Despite
being mired in legal work, the Arnetts have continued their
work on behalf of the quilters (45+ members in good standing
of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective) with exhibitions
currently at the Speed Museum of Art in Louisville, Kentucky
and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In celebration of the upcoming Black History Month (February
2008), the Arnetts arranged for AT&T to commission a quilt
by the artists -- a glorious montage of individual squares created
and quilted by all the women of the Gee’s Bend Collective
-- a pure indication of what a village can do when it works
together.
On
January 10, the artists issued a press release showing their
steadfast support of the Arnetts and their disagreement with
the lawsuits and the women that filed them. The Arnetts are
continuing to keep the artwork and tradition of Gee’s
Bend alive and in the public eye.
*
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama - Northern
District: Case # 07-317 Annie Mae Young Vs. Tinwood Ventures;
Case # 07-423 Loretta Pettway Vs. Tinwood Ventures and Case
# 07-438 Lucinda Pettway Franklin Vs. Tinwood Ventures.
Note: Dindy
Yokel represents the Gee's Bend Foundation and the Arnetts and
Tinwood.
Photo
credits: Matt Arnett
Also
by Dindy Yokel
The
Art of Purvis Young
