Through most of the 19th and 20th centuries quilts have been perhaps the least visible of American folk art and self-taught art expressions. Unlike weather vanes and paintings, quilts are relatively large and fragile, and this limited them to a special area of collecting. The African American quilts in this book represent a creative departure that until recently had not been widely appreciated. Beginning in 2002, however, the quilts of Gee’s Bend-a remote African American community in Alabama-were exhibited at major museums throughout the United States, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art. These exhibitions shocked the art world, and record-breaking crowds attended them because of the quilts’ audacious graphic originality and power. Critics and public alike realized that these humble creations were as modern and sublime as any of the art hanging in the other galleries within the museums.

Corrine Riley’s collection, exhibited at the Mingei International Museum and documented in this beautifully illustrated catalogue, broadened dramatically the scope of our appreciation for the phenomenon of African American quilt art. Her collection has been “picked” from almost every state in the South, and it features examples from hundreds of artists. Though none of these creators would call themselves artists, the work itself speaks otherwise. This 96 page publication includes pieces made by individuals as well as groups of women working together as families and communities.

• soft cover ISBN – 978-0-914155-28-7
• published by Mingei International Museum
• text by Corrine Riley, and Roger Ricco
• format: soft cover only
• dimensions: 9″ x 11″
• 96 page plus cover / 53 color plates
• publications year: 2011
• soft cover: out of print
• order number: FAP-122 S
• out of print