Illinois exhibit is tribute to Alabama quilters

Tag : fabric swatches
Illinois exhibit is tribute to Alabama quilters BY OLIVIA COBISKEY Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.)
DIXON -- Shirley Guay didn't know the quilters of Gee's Bend, Ala., untilone day when she happened on a book.
"Every page I turned, every quilt I saw, I was blown away," Guaysaid Friday. "I did this as a tribute to these women."
Like so many other women in the Deep South, the African Americanwomen in this remote town recycled, reused and repurposed out ofnecessity, said Guay, standing in front of the four quilted panelsshe created for the "I Am Woman" exhibit at The Next Picture Show.
The exhibit includes artwork depicting women or objects related towomen.
Isolated geographically, the women of Gee's Bend learned to makequilts from old suits, dresses and scrap material. Born out ofnecessity, quilting soon became a way for the women to expressthemselves artistically and individually, Guay said. The quiltswere more than a vehicle for warmth -- each one became a work ofart.
To honor the women, Guay dyed cotton fabric with tea bags and usedwatercolor pencils to draw portraits of four of the women in thebook. Their shiny black eyes stare out from quilted backgrounds;the creases around their eyes speak of the hours bent over swatchesof cloth, sewing.
It was a challenging piece, said Guay, 65, who had never quiltedbefore.
"I was just so moved. I'm not a quilter, I wish I could do whatthey do," she said. "I just felt I had to do something in honor ofthem."
The display is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays throughSaturdays through Sept. 16 at The Next Picture Show, 113 W. FirstSt., Dixon. For more information, go to www.thenextpictureshow.org , or call 815-285-4924.