Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics
Gee's Bend: The Most Famous Quilts in America? (#105)
Abstract quilts made by African American women from a hamlet in southern Alabama are explored. [27 minutes]
This episode has not aired in the past few months on Iowa Public Television.
Series Description: This new documentary series focuses on why quilts are bigger than you think, seen through the lenses of history, art, and politics. For the quilter, collector or casual observer, the nine episodes take you behind the scenes and into new territory, exploring the centrality of the quilt in American culture and revealing the unsuspected size, breadth and depth of the quilt culture.
All Episodes
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Quilts 101 - Antique and Contemporary Quilts (#101)
Learn what makes an antique quilt more valuable and why contemporary quilts are judged differently. [26 minutes]
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Quilts Bring History Alive (#102)
Explore the quilt's unique ability to preserve our own family histories and the history of America. [27 minutes]
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The Quilt Marketplace (#103)
Go behind the scenes in the quilt marketplace to meet its players and learn its unwritten rules. [27 minutes]
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What Is Art? (#104)
Host Shelly Zegart and crew explores "what is art?" and sheds light on the art vs. craft debate. [26 minutes]
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Gee's Bend: The Most Famous Quilts in America? (#105)
Abstract quilts made by African American women from a hamlet in southern Alabama are explored. [27 minutes]
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How Quilts Have Been Viewed and Collected (#106)
Trace the incursion of quilts into museum collections and the public response to their exhibition. [26 minutes]
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Empowering Women One Quilt at a Time (#107)
Quilt makers and scholars discuss the quilt's impact on personal expression and financial security. [26 minutes]
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Quilt Nation : 20,000,000 and Counting! (#108)
The American quilt world including the participants, events and support services are explored. [26 minutes]
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Quilt Scholarship: Romance and Reality (#109)
The history of quilt scholarship in America is more relevant and interesting than some might think. [27 minutes]