Mary Ann Pettway
and
China Pettway
will speak in Lexington at the
Carnegie Center, 251 West 2nd Street
September 3rd from 5 - 7 PM
and
Imani Baptist Church, 1555 Georgetown Road
September 4th from 5 - 7 PM
China Pettway and Mary Ann Pettway
Quilts from the Collective will be on display and for
sale.
Link to
China and Mary Ann
Pettway singing at a rehearsal of Agape Theatre Troupe production of
Gee's Bend.
The Gee's Bend Commemorative Postage Stamps
The rich quilting legacy of four generations
of African-American women in rural Alabama was celebrated as the
U.S. Postal Service issued the Quilts of Gee's Bend commemorative
postage stamps at the American Philatelic Society's (APS) annual
convention and philatelic exhibition. These stamps feature the ingenuity
and improvisational style of the Gee's Bend quilters.
"These quilts are a tremendous source of pride for the Gee's Bend
community and the nation," said Mary Anne Gibbons, Senior Vice President
and General Counsel for the U.S. Postal Service, who dedicated the
stamps. "They have captivated the world of art and are a wonderful
addition to our American Treasures Series."
The American Treasures Series is intended to showcase beautiful works of
American fine art and crafts.
"This is such an honor," said Mary Lee Bendolph, a Gee's Bend quilter
whose "Housetop" quilt is featured on one of the stamps. "I just have to
give praise to the Lord. We all are blessed to have our quilts on a
postage stamp. We never had any idea this would happen to us. We are all
so honored."
The community of Gee's Bend is located southwest of Selma, on a big bend
in the meandering Alabama River. For generations, geography has isolated
"Benders," as the residents are known. Water surrounds the community on
three sides and only one long strip of roadway (which was not paved
until 1967) leads in from the northwest. The ferry that once connected
Gee's Bend-officially named Boykin in 1949-with Camden, AL, stopped
running during the 1960s, but isolation has also brought a priceless
gift: generations of skilled quilters. The quilts were created
between 1940 and 2001.
