Originally Posted by brushandthimble
Remember, these quilts were made in the poorest part of our country many many years ago. They were made with whatever was on hand, and made to keep warm. Today they are Folk Art.
No, they are not perfect and certainly what we consider art quilts today, but they are Folk Art of their time.
The ladies themselves did not go out and promote their quilts for high prices, someone else commercialized and promoted them.
EXACTLY ... and that is what I have a problem with too. We first saw these quilts at a Houston guild mtg some yrs ago. These quilts are Folk Art - primitive, made of whatever they had on hand, and sewn together haphazardly.
What was really FUNNY was the local quilt "expert" who gave the "lecture" on these quilts. She presented them, VERY seriously, as high works of art - of complex construction, deep meanings, technically amazing, ground-breaking etc yada yada yada ... Ad nauseum
It was all the audience could do to keep from laughing - as quilters, WE all saw them for what they WERE - scrappy, messy, utilitarian quilts !!
I'm afraid those like her in the quilt world have gone on to commercialize (& profit) from the Gees Bend quilts.