Although this thread has been dead for years, I made an account just to defend the Gee's Bend quilts.
Art is an expression of human emotion. The quilts of Gee's Bend have more expression than "perfect" and traditional quilts.
When I see a quilt where everything is perfect, all seams straight, no variation, no visual interest... I just want to soak it in gasoline and light it on fire. What is the point in putting in all the time and effort into making a handmade item if the finished product looks like it came out of a factory? If you can't see the human factor, it is worthless.
The quilts of Gee's Bend are expressions of the culture in which they were created. I love the wonkiness, the imperfections - I strive for that when I make my quilts. I'll even make mistakes on purpose.
You may think they are ugly. You may not like them. But these quilts are still rousing an emotion in you. And because of that, they are art. I agree they would have never gotten the recognition if they were never discovered by the curators. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But if you fail to see the beauty in these quilts - even the ugly and raw beauty - you're probably a very cold and unpleasant person.
These quilts are organic, they are spontaneous, and they are made resourcefully. In my opinion, that is much more interesting than a quilt that was planned out, cut precisely, and agonized over - which just sucks the life right out of the quilt.
Rotate a few blocks the wrong way, use the wrong color, let a few seams get crooked - you might like it.