Gee’s Bend Quiltmaker Files Lawsuit
One of the quiltmakers from Gee’s Bend has filed a lawsuit against several of the corporations that are using images of their quilts and the three men that were promoting their work, William Arnett and his sons. She claims she didn’t know her images were being used for anything other than the book and that she has never received "one penny from these enterprises".
You can read a short article here.
I always wondered if these women were being exploited and wondered what they felt about their work being reproduced on coffee mugs and rugs. I was sure hoping they were seeing a large portion of the proceeds. It will be interesting to watch this develop.
The Architecture of the Quilt, the second of the Gee’s Bend quilt shows will be at the Denver Art Museum in April 2008. I saw the original exhibit in Washington DC and I’m looking forward to seeing the second show. I have mixed feelings about the work. I’m not sure all of it is at the same artistic level and the show could use a heavy curatorial hand, but there are some beautiful pieces of abstract artwork made by these women.
Posted by Lisa in: The Art World
Diane Clancy said,
June 13, 2007 @ 8:32 pm
hmmm …. you raise a lot of good points. I didn’t know that anyone was making money off these quilts. I thought it might just be publicity on the postage stamps. I didn’t know that these were being used elsewhere - the is a crime - literally.
I must say I have sometimes wondered about the quality of some of the work - but I was delighted to see quilts in the public eye.
~ Diane Clancy
http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
KJ said,
June 13, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
Exploitation is the name of the game… as long as someone can get away with it, they will try. As to the point about varying quality, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s the creative impulse here that is being honored. The conditions under which they were created left little time for uniform stitches, etc. I come from a long line of quilters (and other needleworks) but it was all done to pattern, though the materials were flour sacks and worn clothing… nothing (that I recall) came close to the originality of the work of the Gees Bend quilters.
Lisa Call said,
June 13, 2007 @ 9:43 pm
I’ve edited the posted to try to clarify what I meant "not on the same level" - I mean artistic level - I never said "quality". I wasn’t talking about the construction techniques but the artist merit of the work. Some of it falls flat for me. The colors and shapes are amazing in much of the work - and that is what I’m talking about.
And I’m not saying this woman is right (or wrong) - I don’t know the details - I’ve just always wondered what was going on with these women. It will be interesting to learn the details (if the public gets to learn of them).
cynthia said,
June 14, 2007 @ 8:53 am
I love the Gee’s Bend Quilts and it would be a crime if they are being exploited. On the one hand, others may be profitting from their work, but on the other, the demand for their work has sky rocketed as a result.
As with anything, there is probably better work and some that is just so-so. Just being able to be associated with the “Gee’s Bend” quilts brings more panache.
I am looking forward to seeing the quilts in person too. I saw the Amish Quilts exhibit a few years ago and just fell in love with the medium.
Katherine said,
June 15, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
I was delighted with the exhibit. I agree that all the quilts were not at the same level, from my point of view. I had wondered if all the publicity would
help a community clearly in need.
Without education and ‘worldly wisdom’ it is hard to protect yourself from exploitation when your identity moves from ‘a passionate’ crafter to ‘an artist’
in the eyes of others. Every artform has at least one, well known, sad story
of exploitation. Who is more deserving? The creator of the work or the
person who works to shed light on the creation? They are, after all, a partnership… depending on each other.
The real story of Gees Bend was about ‘community & working together’. Ironic.
Kiandra said,
June 15, 2007 @ 7:51 pm
I understand the point you were making about the artistic level of the current work being shown. I believe like you said that there must be a “heavy curatorial hand” in choosing which pieces are being displayed in current and future exhibits. I would imagine that with all the publicity and attention that this particular “genre,” style, or form of quilting is getting (rightfully so), that there could be artist not as well versed in the tradition, style, and craft of this form of quilting jumping into the circle and being displayed. I am not saying that those quilts or artist are not worthy of showing, however, with the standard of artistic level that we were introduced with as being a “gee’s bend” quilt there should be some continuity in what’s displayed so that this wonderful “style” will not get watered down.
Again, I am not saying this to take away from any piece shown, and its merit as a beautiful work of art, but what should be labeled as a “gee’s bend” quilt should continue within the context of what we have come to love as a “gee’s bend” quilt.
As for the exploitation of the artist…when I first saw the pbs documentary of the women of Gee’s Bend, I invited my best friend, a fellow artist, and gallery owner over to see the documentary. He was disgusted with the people who “discovered” them. He really felt that they were being or were going to be exploited. We almost got into a heated debate over this, because I didn’t agree, and was thankful that they had been discovered. Now, in retrospect, I understand where he was coming from, he was concerned that they would be taken advantage of and now it seems as though he could be right.
LB said,
June 15, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
Hmmmm… that is interesting…
jafabrit said,
June 17, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
Hum, this is a lesson in why one should have a written contract stating clearly how one’s images of their work can and can’t be used. I hope the quilters win their case, beyond the book I don’t see that the author of the book has copyright to the images of the work, only images of the work within his book.
pada said,
June 18, 2007 @ 8:55 am
Another quilter, Loretta Pettway has also filed suit. The way she was treated after Ms. Young filed her lawsuit is truly disgusting. Please read Ben Raines article, “Gee’s Bend: A Fight for Rights” in the Mobile Press Register June 15th.
One should remember that these women live in an extremely isolated community and probably didn’t even know what a copyright was until recently. It would never occur to them to get one.
Lisa Call said,
June 19, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
Pada - thanks for the info.
Hey everyone - I have more to say on this topic - stay tuned!
Barbara Barran said,
June 30, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
I was one of the first people to sign an agreement with the Arnetts, and I would like to assure you that the full story hasn’t come out yet. I’ve been interviewed by a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and she is working on a story that will explain why the women have received very little money. By the way, Ms. Young and Ms. Loretta Pettway are NOT suing me; I’ve spoken to their lawyer, and he has assured me that he’s happy with my performance on our contract. And please keep an open mind about the Arnetts; they may be inept businessmen, but they care deeply about the women, and I would be extremely surprised to find that they6 had done anything dishonorable.