Connecting California and Alabama: Exploring Gee’s Bend Quilting at West Oakland Middle School

As a continuation of their Gee’s Bend studies and canvas quilt-making, West Oakland Middle School students in Teaching Artist Etty Alberto’s after-school class took a riveting field trip in March. The students toured the Mercury 20 Gallery to see Stopped in Motion: Pandemic Art Quilts then attended a lecture hosted by the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, featuring Mary Ann Pettway, Executive Director of the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective, and Collective members China Pettway and Julia Pettway. 

The importance of observing handmade quilts in an Oakland gallery and hearing directly from the Gee's Bend quilters cannot be understated for our students. They leaned into the quilts closely, pondering each intersecting patch of fabric and defined stitching style the seasoned textile artists incorporated. The intricate details were met with wide-eyed fascination. Questions burst free regarding fabric scrap origins and pattern choice. 

In tandem with the curious energy of their gallery experience, the students listened to the invaluable generational wisdom shared within the Gee's Bend quilters' stories with respect and awe. When planning the field trip, Etty "wanted kids to take away that despite adversities, we always find a way to survive, and that art is always at the forefront of it. The way we live is art, as simple as making a quilt, an everyday object we ritually use." The love, strength, and creative fluidity sewn within each quilt was evident to both the students and field trip chaperone Phyllis Hall, Program Director of The Center for ArtEsteem. She appreciated how the Pettways were "lovingly candid about the little things in their life." Moments like "sitting in the kitchen and being with their mom" and "doing quilts for days and days in a row... or [starting a quilt] because they were upset about this or that." 

Art's unifying power of healing brings a past ArtEsteem student's sentiments to mind. Aniya from Community School for Creative Education shared: “Art is a way to release all of your bad feelings, all of your pain; you can turn your pain into something beautiful like a painting on a canvas or a mural in a freeway underpass.” In an IQ Learning Network interview, Mary Ann Pettway reflected upon a similar notion: “Being a quilter is very therapeutic… it’s like medicine. You don’t think about pain… it’s very relaxing.” The universal human experience with art as a vector of emotion and catalyst of expression resonated deeply during the field trip. 

Thanks to the work of the Mercury 20 Gallery, the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, and the wise women of the Gee’s Bend Quilting Collective, the ArtEsteem program is evermore enriched.

A Community Woven in Love: Exploring Gee’s Bend Quilting at West Oakland Middle School

Teaching Artist Etty Alberto cultivates core tenets of the ArtEsteem program's learning goals in her students through her curriculum. Cultural awareness, anti-colonial thinking, sustainable art practice—engaging with these concepts empowers our youth to question, challenge, and deconstruct the systems they develop within.

Etty's after-school class at West Oakland Middle School recently completed a canvas quilting project that encompasses the critical comprehension and positive self-expression we advocate for. Inspired by the quilting practice passed down by generations in Gee's Bend, Alabama, the canvas quilt was made by repurposing unfinished cotton canvases from past ArtEsteem students. Through a process of learning, designing, gessoing, painting, cutting, and weaving, the once-abandoned canvases now yield new life and meaning.

In her art practice, Etty is "highly influenced by patterns, including patterns that have cultural ties to [her] and [her] personal experiences. [She is] always inspired by communities with intricate and decorative craftsmanship in their handicrafts and artisanal objects. Patterns are always the common denominator [humanity shares] universally, and [she] was excited to share this with [her] class." During her research for the lessons, Etty learned about quilts from all parts of the world. She noted that reuse is a global practice for quilting, and tied this concept of sustainability and perseverance into the project's knowledge points around overcoming adversity within Black history.

In Gee's Bend, repair and repurposing have been essential for survival. The community has continuously struggled for resources and economic development, similar in experience to many descendants of enslaved peoples but distinctive in their geographic isolation. Located at a deep bend on the Alabama River, the waters nearly encircle the town. Their population, a majority of whom descend from enslaved people on the Pettway plantation, has historically fluctuated between a mite less than 100 and scarcely over 500 people.

These circumstances gave great importance to each item of clothing and the skills needed to repair and repurpose them. Quilting emerged from enslaved families' need for warmth and bedding in makeshift cottages without heating, and has continued as a practical and cultural tradition.

When first learning about the history of Gee's Bend, Azia, a 7th grader, noted with sadness that "when [Gee's Bend residents] were growing up, [they] didn't have a lot to do and used to sneak to go to school." Another classmate, a 6th grader named Robert, connected experiences of youth in Gee's Bend with Oakland's youth, expressing that ArtEsteem "is a very good class" and "[he] thinks everyone should go to it," citing his friends' improvement in artistic skills and focus in the classroom. 6th grader Clarence expressed his appreciation for the quilters' skills, wondering: "How did they make [the quilts] since they didn't have resources?" Pondering further, he made a parallel with Oakland's artistic culture, mentioning that "Blank walls become nice, beautiful murals."

As with Oakland's murals, Gee's Bend quilts enrich the culture of the community and serve as vessels of expression, remembering, preservation, and pride. While we should not forget the racist, classist, capitalist systems that breed the art of resilience we see, we can take a moment to revel in the realities and beauty within our communities' colorful expressions.

The "WOMS Living" Collection: Creation Process & Exhibition Debut

Not many middle schoolers can say that they have designed their own home goods product line, but the ArtEsteem students at West Oakland Middle School (WOMS) can proudly add that feat to their list of accomplishments. Teaching Artist Etty Alberto led students on a journey of native ethnobotany, geometric compositions, and designing their own showrooms.

With the support of volunteer Julia Gamble’s expertise as a home product designer at Room Creative, students used this knowledge to create nature-inspired pattern designs. These original pieces will be curated in a home goods collection, “WOMS Living”, available for purchase starting on Apr 28, 2023. The samples from the collection can also be viewed in a showroom at the 25th Annual ArtEsteem Exhibition on May 6, 2023!

Students began this semester learning about the environmental significance of California native plants. While studying the physical differences of each plant, they learned to recognize radial designs and symmetry in how they grow. For their first project, they brought leaf cuttings from their neighborhoods to be used in a leaf relief pattern print. Learn more about the process here.

At City Slicker Farms, students had the chance to have a hands-on approach to their lessons in native ethnobotany. CSF educators engaged students in the cultural significance of native plants and environmental factors currently threatening them. Students planted native milkweed and California poppies to bring back home and encourage native pollinators. Ms. Etty then led them through a lesson on silhouette impressions using crayons and floral plants such as pineapple sage and rosemary. This lesson would inform their understanding of positive and negative space in art.

Shifting towards the design process of their nature-inspired art, WOMS students visited the ArtEsteem Gallery to observe patterns and composition in the artwork of previous ArtEsteem students. The class was joined by Lead Teaching Artist Angel Perez to complete their geometric design screenprints. The positive and negative space of their prints highlighted their original color palette. Learn more about their visit here.

Hear what one student, Zaniya Watts, had to say about her screen printing piece titled Color: “This piece represents my mood and how they change in the process. I learned how to paint and how to mix different materials together. I really enjoyed making this piece.”

West Oakland Middle School Students Tour & Screen Print at The Center for ArtEsteem Gallery

West Oakland Middle School students continued their native plant textile unit this month with Lead Teaching Artist Etty Alberto by visiting our very own ArtEsteem Gallery. This is their second field trip in a series to deepen their understanding of product design.

Class started with an opening circle around a radial mandala mural Etty completed last year. She explained, “I made this, and it’s my job. You can do art as a career!” In this unit, students are developing skills to support their future entry into the visual arts workforce. Whether it’s murals, apparel, or home goods, students saw how art is found everywhere, and there is an artist behind each piece of work. 

In a previous lesson, students used watercolors to demonstrate their understanding of color palettes. Students were then able to build on this project at the gallery in a screen printing demonstration with Teaching Artist Angel Perez. Angel guided the students through the chemical process of silk screen printing. Another guiding presence, volunteer Julia Gamble, was present to teach the students. Julia brings years of experience in product design and development to the class, and is helping to inform the trajectory of their textile unit projects. She designed the geometric screen print design that would go over their watercolor pieces, and emphasized how the negative and positive space of the geometric print highlights the watercolors’ composition.

One particular student, Robert, seized the opportunity to print the geometric design on his own sweatshirt. When it was complete, Julia told him, “No one in the world has this piece of art, except you. It is a one-of-a-kind sweatshirt.”

For the second part of gallery activities, Etty led students on a scavenger hunt around the space. Students observed the artwork and made deductions from the artist statements. By seeing past ArtEsteem students’ work, as well as understanding what inspired them, WOMS students can reflect on how they want to design their final project.

This unit will culminate in a field trip to IKEA, in which students will be able to take their knowledge in surface pattern designs and explore how it can be applied to home good collections and showrooms. 

Black History Month ArtMobile Event at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary

Three classes from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary's after school program weathered the cold to celebrate Black History Month with the ArtMobile! Led by teaching artist Jamiani Gray, the students collaborated on a quote-mural, encouraging them to be proud of the color of their skin, their culture, and where they come from.  

The lesson started with learning the history of the Pan-African flag by Marcus Garvey. Ms. Jamiani tells the class what each color means. “Red for the blood of our people, black for our beautiful skin, and green for the bountiful riches of our motherland.” Students were then split into groups to create shading and designs on stars that correlated with the flag colors. The creativity of their designs ranged from geometric shapes, to flowers, to self-portraits. 

Students then chose from 100+ quotes by prominent Black historical and modern-day figures to be glued on top of their star. Each student was able to add their completed star to the mural in the corresponding color area. Together, these stars represent both the students’ unity and individuality in their identities.

Ms. Jamiani ended the ArtMobile session by calling up students to read a quote from the mural. Each quote was met with applause from their fellow classmates, but the class especially erupted in uproar when one student read a Martin Luther King Jr. quote. 

Celebrating the Black History Month through art is a chance for youth to recognize the strength of their people and inspire them to continue building on their legacy. Ms. Jamiani and other AHC staff sought to uplift their creative curiosity and confidence through their collaboration on this mural.