Andrew Mowbray
Barbara McCormick
Gee’s Bend Quilts
June 4 – August 13, 2022
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 4 • 3pm – 5pm
Gallery hours: by appointment
We are pleased to present Use It, an exhibition including Shaker-inspired, milk crate stools by Andrew Mowbray, Gullah sweetgrass baskets by Barbara McCormick, and quilts by the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers.
This exhibition presents useful objects that we recognize as art. Andrew Mowbray‘s milk-crates were made in response to the collection of shaker objects found at the Fruitlands Museum where he was Artist in Residence.They symbolize the refined aesthetics, craft, and practicality characteristic of the Shakers, while also representing the commerce and visual culture shared between Shaker communities and the outside world.
Barbara McCormick originally learned how to make sweetgrass baskets from her grandmother and was taught the art of shaping and and style by her great aunt. She has been carrying on the tradition of this traditional Gullah art form for 50 years as did her enslaved ancestors before her. Originally made for agricultural use on plantations, the true Gullah baskets are only made in a small area near Charleston, SC and are living testaments to the the lives of those who wove them.
We are fortunate to have a small selection of quilts made by the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers thanks to our friends at One Mile Gallery in Kingston, NY. The first quilts were first made by enslaved women in the isolated community of Boykin, Alabama, also known as Gees Bend. Meant to provide warmth for their families, the quilts were sewn using the simple process of piecing together scraps of fabric and clothing. The Gee’s Bend quilts that we see today continue the tradition of bold, abstract, seemingly improvisational patterns that were invented by those original quilters.
For more information call or text 617.835.8255 or email info@drive-byprojects.com.
Masks required when visiting the gallery.
