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Memory and Making: Gee’s Bend Quilts

Grades 3 through 5

We will offer a selection of in-person and virtual field trips (using Zoom) for fall 2024.

Requests for winter/spring field trips (January 6 – May 30, 2025) will be accepted from December 1, 2024 – April 5, 2025.

Mary Lee Bendolph, Blocks and Strips, 2002, wool, cotton, and corduroy, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, 2020.28.1

Lesson Summary

Women in the community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, create quilts inspired by the world around them, using materials that hold layers of memory. During this tour in the Called to Create exhibition, students will look carefully at the Gee’s Bend quilts and connect to other works of art made from everyday objects. Students will create their own “collage quilts” using works of art from the exhibition and their personal memories as sources of inspiration.

Looking and Learning Skills:

  • Observe, describe, compare, and contrast works of art
  • Understand that artists draw on their memories and the world around them as inspiration
  • Expand the idea of what art can be
  • Discover that artists use found materials and repurpose them to create works of art
  • Make personal connections with the works of art
  • Create “collage quilts” inspired by the works of art and personal memories

In-Person Tour Information

Number of students: Up to 45 students
Length: 75 minutes 
Meeting Location: East Building Atrium

Important Scheduling Information

Tours must be scheduled at least four weeks in advance. Groups must contain at least 15 students.

Once your tour has been scheduled, you will receive an email confirmation within ten business days.

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