1960 Born in Gee’s Bend, AL; lives and works in Huntsville, AL

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. Her ancestry traces back to Dinah Miller, her great-great-great grandmother, who, according to folklore and family history, was one of the first slaves to have arrived in the Bend.

Born in 1960, Loretta is the second of eight children and the oldest daughter of Tom O. and Qunnie Elizabeth Pettway, one of the original Gee’s Bend quilters whose fame has spread worldwide through exhibitions of their work. The Gee’s Bend quilters have been profiled in numerous publications, newspaper articles, television programs, radio interviews, personal appearances, ten US postage stamps and a play. Loretta has over two dozen additional relatives among that initial group of quilters, establishing her as a bona fide member of what could be considered America’s quilting royalty.

 In 1979, Loretta married Lovett Bennett who was shortly thereafter stationed to Germany, while on his first tour of duty in the United States Army. This was the first of numerous places they would be posted during the following twenty years or so, giving them the opportunity to experience the customs and traditions of various cultures. The couple has three sons, but no daughters to inherit Loretta’s legacy of quiltmaking, though the youngest son has expressed some interest in quilting.

At the 2002 exhibition of “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend,” Loretta’s eyes were opened to the important historical accomplishments of her many relatives. She began to ask herself whether she could one day make a quilt that might hang on a wall in a museum. Loretta says, “At first, I would sketch my quilts and color the drawings with similar colors as the clothes or fabric from thrift stores. Sometimes the clothing itself would help me because I could feel something from the person who had worn that pair of pants, or skirt, dress or shirt.” In order to conform to a defining characteristic of most Gee’s Bend quilts, that they are made from recycled clothing though Loretta shops thrift stores when she runs short of family garments to use in her quilts.

“Traveling widely overseas and within the United States really had a big influence on my style, because in each place the people felt differently about their heritage. For instance, in the Southwestern U.S., houses and cars were often very bright, bold colors. Overseas, brilliant colors were apparent in flowers and festival clothing. By combining my travel experiences with my own legacy, I found my individual place in quiltmaking expressing a contemporary vision that still honors the quilters from Gee’s Bend.”

Loretta came full circle, back to her Gee’s Bend roots, when she made a quilt in honor of her mother Qunnie and her cousin Arlonzia Pettway, her elders who taught her to sew and quilt. [] “After that quilt, I was inspired to use really bold colors and different types of materials together just like the generations of relatives before me who used what they had. I added elements of music and dancing that my family especially love. I was finally there, using different shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Just like my family. Imperfect, but still a family.”

Education

1989 Training as a medical assistant, Western Technological Institute, El Paso, Texas

1991 Training as a dental assistant, US Air Force Training, Bitburg, Germany

One person Exhibitions

2012 Recent Quilts and Etchings, Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle, WA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2014 City Lights Gallery, Bridgeport, CT
 Gee’s Bend from Quilts to Prints, Warren Wilson College, Elizabeth Holden Gallery, and Benchspace Gallery & Workshop, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, Asheville, North Carolina

Life on Mars Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
2013 Paulson Press Gallery, Berkeley, California (also 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012)
 Congregational Club, Washington D.C.

2012 Quilts and Etchings, Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle (also 2005, 2007, 2009)

2010 A Survey of Gee’s Bend Quilts, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada: February 6 – August 11

A Survey of Gee’s Bend Quilts, Art Museum of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach South Carolina: June 8 – October 3

2009-10 A Survey of Gee’s Bend Quilts, Cummer Museum of Art, Jacksonville, Florida: March - August

Gee’s Bend Quilts, Southern Oregon University Museum, Ashland, Oregon: July -September, 2009

A Survey of Gee’s Bend Quilts, Boise Art Museum: October 10, 2009 – January 17, 2010

Ameringer Yohe Art Gallery, New York, New York (also 2005, 2007)

  Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, Oregon (also 2005, 2007

Addison/Ripley Fine Art Gallery, Washington, DC (also 2007)

2009 Architecture of the Quilt, Denver Museum of Art: April 13th – July 6th 0

Architecture of the Quilt, Philadelphia Museum of Art: August – October

Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond, Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico: November – March

Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond, Missouri Historical Society Museum, St. Louis, Missouri: April – September

2008-09 Architecture of the Quilt, Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky: December 23rd – March 16th

2008-09 Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville: Tennessee: July 10 – September 2

Cultural Resources Commission, Tallahassee, Florida: June, - August  

2007 Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond, Paine Art Center and Gardens, Oshkosh, Wisconsin: January 20 – April 1

Architecture of the Quilt, Orlando Museum of Art: January 28th – April 22nd

Architecture of the Quilt, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland: June 17th – August 26th

Architecture of the Quilt, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington: September 25th – December 9th

Gee’s Bend Quilts and Beyond, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia: May—July

Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2006 Architecture of the Quilt, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: June 4th – September 14th

Architecture of the Quilt, Austin Museum of Art, Austin, Texas: August 19 – November 6

Architecture of the Quilt, Museum of Fine Arts, Indianapolis Museum of Art: October 1st – December 31st

GRANTS, RESIDENCIES AND FELLOWSHIPS

2009 Alabama State Council on the Arts, Fellowship Grant

2001 Alabama State Council on the Arts, Fellowship Grant

COLLECTIONS

Alabama State Council on the Arts, Montgomery, Alabama

Art Museum of Myrtle Beach, Florida

Department of State, Washington, District of Columbia

Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., New York, New York

Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana

Schnitzer Family Collections, Portland, Oregon