Sybil Irene, Quilt 9

What began as a passion project quickly evolved into a hands on paper quilting bee. Mother and daughter artists, Brenda Bogart and Stephanie Stephenson Walker, had always shared an interest in the story of Gee's Bend. The art of quiltmaking, taking what you have and turning it into something functional, provides much inspiration. However the true influence for Brenda and Stephanie was the strength of a community of women to create in a time of distress. Collage, they discovered, is not so different from quilting. It involves piecing together what you have to compose something beautiful and whole. In homage to the women in their family, the artists named the quilts after their female ancestors, many of whom quilted themselves.