Souls Grown Deep

Now available from @rizzolibooks.bsky.social: Lonnie Holley—the first major monograph on the artist’s groundbreaking career. With essays by Harmony Holiday and John Beardsley, the book traces his journey from Birmingham to the global stage. #LonnieHolley #SoulsGrownDeep #BlackArt

This work is held in the permanent collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund and partial gift of Souls Grown Deep.
#CreolaBennettPettway #GeesBend #HalfLogCabin #SoulsGrownDeep #VMFA #BlackWomenArtists #TextileArt #AmericanArt #QuiltHistory

Built from scraps. Structured like survival.

Creola Bennett Pettway’s “Half-Log Cabin” variation (1949) reimagines a classic quilt pattern with improvisational strength. Made of cotton and wool, this 73 × 71 inch piece bears the geometry of necessity—rigid lines softened by time, labor, and life.

Reflecting on Souls Grown Deep like the Rivers at the Royal Academy (March–June 2023), featuring Marlene Bennett Jones and other artists whose work speaks to the soul of the American South.
#SoulsGrownDeep #BlackArt #GeesBend #SGDArtists

Beyond her quilts, Lucy Mingo marched for justice—her determination woven into both ткань and history.

#LucyMingo #CivilRightsMarch #QuiltmakerAndActivist #SoulsGrownDeep

Can tourism preserve the legacy of the Gee's Bend quilters? The women of Gee's Bend, Alabama had been crafting intricate quilts for generations. Then the museums came calling

www.wallpaper.com/design-inter...

They’ve inspired museums, collectors, and creators around the world — and now, the Gee’s Bend quilters are inviting you to experience their story firsthand. Read @wallpapermag.bsky.social feature on how this Alabama community is weaving art, heritage, and hospitality together.

Now on view at the de Young Museum (Gallery 015): Blood and Meat: Survival For The World (1992) by Thornton Dial. A towering reflection on labor, sacrifice, and survival in America.

Joe Minter’s Slave Ship (1995), held by the New Orleans Museum of Art, transforms salvaged steel into a vessel of historical truth.
#JoeMinter #SlaveShip #SoulsGrownDeep #NOMA #MemoryInArt

From Joe Minter’s Chains In Paradise to Sam Doyle’s A Dream, the High Museum in Atlanta is home to a powerful cross-section of works from the Souls Grown Deep collection—each piece transforming memory into monument.

#HighMuseum #SGDArtists #SoulsGrownDeep

Richard Dial’s The Comfort and Service My Daddy Brings to Our Household (1988) is part of the High Museum’s collection—where furniture becomes family.
#RichardDial #HighMuseum #SoulsGrownDeep #FunctionalArt #SouthernArtists

Miss the festival? You can still bring a Gee’s Bend quilt into your home.
Explore fine art prints by Gee’s Bend quiltmakers—available on paper or canvas, with proceeds shared with the artists or their estates.
🔗 soulsgrowndeep.org
#GeesBend #SGDArtists #PrintsWithPurpose

The countdown is on! This Saturday, Gee’s Bend comes alive with quilts, stories, and celebration.
Visit the community that shaped a world-renowned art tradition—plus food trucks, music & more.
🔗 Register: airingofthequilts.org
#GeesBend #AiringOfTheQuilts #QuiltHeritage

Mary Lee Bendolph: quilting unites—solo creativity woven into communal practice.

Installation view of Shifting Landscapes at the Whitney Museum, featuring works by artists from the Souls Grown Deep collection: Martha Jane Pettway, Purvis Young, Lonnie Holley, Bessie Harvey & Joe Minter. Rooted in the American South, these works reclaim land, memory & meaning.

Delia Bennett’s Housetop—fractured medallion variation (c. 1955) is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collection—a testament to structure and improvisation.
#DeliaBennett #GeesBend #SoulsGrownDeep #TextileArt #PMA

A past exhibition brought together the bold quilts of Gee’s Bend and the fierce assemblages of Thornton Dial—two transformative forces in American art. Organized by First Art Museum + Souls Grown Deep, the show traced shared roots in Southern Black creativity, resilience, and material genius.

Thornton Dial’s Lost Cows (2000–2001), part of the permanent collection at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, critiques American excess with welded force.

#ThorntonDial #LostCows #FAMSF #SoulsGrownDeep #AssemblageArt

Holley urges reconnection with our roots—our past fuels our future.
#RootsAndSpirit #SoulsGrownDeep #LonnieHolley

Happy 90th to Mary Lee Bendolph! 🎉 The Gee’s Bend legend & 2023 Anonymous Was A Woman awardee has redefined American art through her quilting genius. Her legacy continues to inspire across generations. 📸: Joseph McCarthy
#MaryLeeBendolph #GeesBend #AWAW #SoulsGrownDeep

Bring home museum-quality prints—and support equity in the arts. Souls Grown Deep shares profits equally with artists & estates.
#SoulsGrownDeep #SupportBlackArt #PrintWithPurpose #ArtAndJustice #BlackSouthernArtists

Opening Oct 5 during the Gee’s Bend Airing of the Quilts Festival, Between History and Memory honors Dinah Miller, the earliest known quilter in Gee’s Bend. Her story, traced through five generations of quiltmakers, unfolds at the River Gallery. Free to visit. #GeesBend #DinahMiller

Support the living legacy of Gee’s Bend. Become a Friend of the Bend and receive early festival access, exclusive events, a commemorative pin, and a place on the Members Tribute Quilt.
Join today!
#GeesBend #FriendOfTheBend #Quiltmakers #SupportArtists

Exciting news! SGD’s Chief Curator Raina Lampkins‑Fielder is guest curating the Platform at The Armory Show 2025 (Sept 5–7). A celebration of Black artists who lived in, and were artistically inspired by, the American South, it features sculptures, assemblages, and Gee's Bend quilts. #ArmoryShow

Dial calls on us to leave art that serves others and champions freedom—a legacy in action.
#ThorntonDial #LegacyArt #SoulsGrownDeep

At just 11 years old, Nettie Young made Stacked Bricks from fabric scraps her mother gave her. She later became co-manager of the Freedom Quilting Bee. The quilt is now in the @neworleansmuseumofart collection. #NettieYoung #GeesBend #FreedomQuiltingBee #NOMA

Whiles I Yet Live: Matriarchy and Generational Exchange in Gee’s Bend

Curated by Starasea Nidiala Camara, a former Souls Grown Deep intern, the show traces generations of quiltmakers whose artistry has shaped one of the most important legacies in American art.

#WhilesIYetLive #GeesBendQuilts

Huge congratulations to legendary Gee’s Bend quilter, Mary Lee Bendolph, for being selected as part of Forbes 50 Over 50! 🌟 This prestigious honor recognizes the incredible impact Mary has made, and we couldn’t be prouder of her achievements. Here's to creating even more change and beauty! 🪡

Carved with care and spiritual force, Hall’s sculpture finds its home at Clark Atlanta.

Dilmus Hall, Untitled n.d., wood, wood putty, plastic beads, and paint, 12 x 9 in.

Quilts swayed, stories flowed, and generations gathered at the 2024 Airing of the Quilts Festival. A powerful celebration of Gee’s Bend. We’ll see you again Oct 4, 2025! Sign up for updates via airingofthequilts.org. #GeesBend photo: @rachelhayes #AiringOfTheQuilts #FestivalThrowback