[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 53 (Thursday, April 18, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E498-E499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO GEE'S BEND QUILT ARTISTS MARY LEE BENDOLPH AND LORETTA 
                            PETTWAY BENNETT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2013

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
two of my talented and distinguished constituents--Mary Lee Bendolph 
and Loretta Pettway Bennett. Both ladies are renowned quilt artists 
from Gee's Bend, Alabama. The beautiful work of these honorees and the 
group of women quilters from Gee's Bend has gained international 
recognition and is source of great pride to my district and the state 
of Alabama.
  Gee's Bend is a beloved rural community--geographically isolated on a 
peninsula at a deep bend in the Alabama River, just southeast of my 
hometown of Selma. For nearly 200 years the women of Gee's Bend have 
been creating quilt art. These local women use available materials, in 
patterns of their own creative design. They have received widespread, 
critical acclaim and their work has been compared to the most valuable 
pieces of modern abstract art.
  Mary Lee Bendolph, the seventh of 17 children, descends from 
generations of accomplished quilt makers in Gee's Bend. She

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learned to quilt from her mother, Aolar Mosely, and she worked over the 
years in a variety of textile-related jobs. Mary Lee gathers design 
ideas for her quilt art by looking at the world around her. Anything--
from people's clothes at church, to her barn, to quilts hanging on 
clotheslines in front yards, to how the land looks when she's high 
above it in an airplane--can inspire her.
  Mary Lee Bendolph has worked to promote greater understanding of her 
community and its unique art form. She has appeared on numerous 
television and radio programs, and figured prominently in the PBS 
documentary ``The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend.'' In 1999, Mary Lee's life 
was profiled in The Los Angeles Times by J.R. Moehringer in ``Crossing 
Over: Mary Lee's Vision,'' which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. 
Additionally, the main character Sadie Pettway in Elyzabeth Wilder's 
play ``Gee's Bend,'' currently on tour, is based on the life of Mary 
Lee Bendolph.
  Loretta Pettway Bennett is a fifth-generation quilter from Gee's 
Bend, Alabama and one of the youngest to continue handstitching quilts 
in the renowned Gee's Bend style. She is the second of eight children 
and oldest daughter of Tom O. and Qunnie Elizabeth Pettway Jr. 
Loretta's ancestry traces back to Dinah Miller, a great-great-great 
grandmother who, according to folklore and family history, was one of 
the first slaves to have arrived in Gee's Bend. Loretta has over two 
dozen additional relatives among the initial group of quilters, 
establishing her as a bona fide member of what could be considered 
America's quilting royalty.
  Loretta has stated that she came full circle, back to her Gee's Bend 
roots, when she made a quilt in honor of her mother Qunnie Pettway, who 
taught her to sew and quilt, and her cousin Arlonzia Pettway. ``After 
that quilt, I went into a zone where I was inspired to use really bold 
colors and different types of materials together just like the 
generations of relatives before me, because they used what they had. I 
added something else that my family especially loves, music and 
dancing. I was finally there, using different shapes, sizes, colors and 
textures. Just like my family, imperfect but still a family.''
  Most recently, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
featured the Gee's Bend Jazz Symphony in February 2013. During Black 
History Month 2013, the history of the community of Gee's Bend, and the 
spirit of the women of the Gee's Bend quilt art, was brought to the 
nation by jazz pianist Jason Moran, using music to help animate history 
and interpret museum collections.
  Mr. Speaker, I am beyond honored to represent the community of Gee's 
Bend and these two extraordinary artists. I look forward to many more 
appearances in our nation's capital by these highly talented artists.

                          ____________________