Untitled (Block and Strip Quilt)
Artist
Loretta Pettway
(American, b. 1942)
CultureAmerican
Date2003
MediumCotton and polyester fabric
DimensionsOverall: 83 x 69 in. (210.8 x 175.3 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by the Friends of African American Art and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange
Object number2005.2
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, 310, SHELF14
Label TextLoretta Pettway American, b. 1942 Untitled (Block and Strip Quilt), 2003 Cotton and polyester fabric Loretta Pettway weaves the tale of her life as mother, wife, and community member. She uses bold, asymmetrical designs and dramatic fabric contrasts to make works full of imagination and creativity. Her compositions display brilliant originality and balance that recall the very best of contemporary abstract painting. While standards of design and beauty were passed from one generation to the next, Pettway developed an individual technique unlike those of her predecessors or contemporaries at Gee’s Bend. Gee’s Bend is a small insular community in rural Alabama that has developed a remarkable quilt making tradition over the past 100 years. Descendants of slaves who worked the Pettway plantation, the women of Gee’s Bend have crafted quilts that not only keep them and their families warm at night but are also striking works of art. Pettway is one of the most talented of the current generation of Gee’s Bend quilters. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Friends of African American Art and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange 2005.2 Exhibition History"Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010. "Making and Meaning: Selections from the Chrysler Museum of Art Collection," Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, June 1 - August 11, 2013.
ca. 1300-1500
