Join quilt maker and expert Maggi Gordon for an insightful view of the Gee’s Bend Quilt exhibition. Gordon is the author of eleven books on a broad range of quilting topics, and in recent years has become especially enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Gee’s Bend quilts. She has visited the community in Alabama, met Mary Lee Bendolph and other quilters on several occasions, and viewed numerous exhibitions of their quilts. As well, Maggi introduce her husband David Gordon, director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, to Gee’s Bend quilts which led to a major exhibition at the museum in 2003.

Maggi says, “I learned to sew at my mother’s knee, who learned to sew at her mother’s knee, who learned to sew at her mother’s knee.” Born in Mississippi, Maggi spent her childhood sewing, and then as a mother living in London, she studied and practiced embroidery and quilt-making over a twenty-year period. Now residing in Milwaukee, she is a member of the North Shore Quilt Guild and Wisconsin Quilters Guild and serves on the board of the Wisconsin Quilt History Project. She is currently writing her twelfth book on quilting.

Gordon’s gallery talk at the Paine encourages visitors to see the quilts of Gee’s Bend with new eyes. While sharing personal insights and experiences, she helps visitors to appreciate the extraordinary qualities of the quilts and the stories behind the women who made them. Gordon will also show a selection of African American quilts from her personal collection. The thirty-minute gallery talk will be repeated on the hour from noon to 3:00 pm. The talk is free with paid admission to the Paine.

Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond. More info