Kith & Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

Friday 28 February – Sunday 26 October 2025
Kith & Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend | Friday 28 February – Sunday 26 October 2025 | IMMA | Image: black-and-white photo of someone working on a quilt; we see just head and shoulders and right arm of the figure, with the hand probably pulling a needle through the quite, which is a patterns of squares or diamonds; behind we see what appears to be a workshop
Opening Reception Thursday 27 February, 6 – 8pm

IMMA presents Kith & Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, the first exhibition of the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers in Ireland. The Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers, a group of African American women from a small Alabama community, have created quilts that hold both artistic and political significance. Artistically, their work is renowned for its improvisational style, bold colours, and abstract designs, often compared to modernist art movements like abstract expressionism. Their quilts, made from recycled fabrics, are deeply rooted in African American textile traditions and showcase unique creativity in geometric patterns.

Politically, the quilts reflect resilience and self-sufficiency, as they were born out of necessity in an economically deprived, racially segregated region. The civil rights movement brought attention to these women, who became symbols of Black empowerment and cultural pride. Their craft has been exhibited in museums worldwide, highlighting the importance of marginalised voices in American history. The quilts serve as both a celebration of African American heritage and a testament to the strength and creativity of women in the face of systemic oppression.

Through the public programme IMMA will explore parallels with the textile and quilt-making traditions in Ireland.

IMMA Talk

The Ties that Bind: Community and Artistry in the Quilts of Gee’s Bend
A lecture by Raina Lampkins-Fielder
Thursday 27 February at 5pm / Johnston Suite, IMMA / Booking required on
imma.ie

Raina Lampkins-Fielder, Chief Curator for Souls Grown Deep, presents a talk on the unique quilt making tradition of Gee’s Bend. This talk is followed by the opening of Kith & Kin: The Quilts of Gee’s Bend. A recording of this talk will be made available to listen back to on IMMA’s SoundCloud channel.

Places are limited for this talk.

Souls Grown Deep (SGD) advocates the artistic recognition and empowerment of Black artists from the American South, promoting visibility, scholarship, and education about their contributions to art history and fostering economic development and racial and social justice in their communities. Founded in 2010, the organization derives its name from a 1921 poem by Langston Hughes (1901-67) titled The Negro Speaks of Rivers, the last line of which is “My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”

Souls Grown Deep stewards the foremost collection of works by Black artists from the Southern United States, and advances recognition for artists through collection transfers, research, loans, exhibitions, education, public programs, and publications. More than 500 works from SGD’s collection have been acquired by over 40 museums in the U.S. and around the globe, creating new opportunities for public access and scholarship. A leading voice for equitable practices in the art world, SGD works collaboratively with artists and communities to advance their stated needs and goals through support for the creative economy, intellectual property rights, fair compensation models, economic and political empowerment, and values-aligned investing.For more information, please visit soulsgrowndeep.org.

Friday 28 February – Sunday 26 October 2025
IMMA
Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
Dublin 8
Telephone: +353 1 612 9900
www.imma.ie
Opening hours / start times:
Tuesday 11:30 - 17:30
Wednesday 11:30 - 17:30
Thursday 11:30 - 17:30
Friday 11:30 - 17:30
Saturday 10:00 - 17:30
Sunday 12:00 - 17:30
Admission / price: Free
Bank Holidays open 12:00 – 17:30.

 
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