Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy

Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy FQB Legacy is a non-profit created to ensure the heroic, historic, artistic work of the original FQB artisans isn’t lost.

Our mission is multi-layered:

To celebrate and teach about the work and accomplishments of those women (and men) past, present and future, who made the Bee such a powerful artistic and community force.
--To offer real economic opportunities for a new generation of quilt makers and artisans.
--To provide solutions to community needs, such as Internet access and voter registration for those who oth

erwise couldn’t access it.
--To advance our plans to draw tourism to the area and offer a deeper experience of the FQB Legacy history and current activities, with shops, lodging, classes and interactive exhibits.
--To preserve the past and evolve into the future by creating jobs, building wealth and teaching life skills to enhance our community. Our Vision
Just as the original Freedom Quilting Bee was a juggernaut for change in women’s lives, families’ futures and the community at large, Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy has broad and powerful goals for its future. Economic opportunity and personal dignity for black women are at the heart of our vision. We plan to develop the property here in Alberta, Alabama to draw tourism, historians and textile fans. In the future, we envision:

--A café and gift shop, cabins for rent (there is currently no lodging in the area) and housing for artists and workshop instructors that will travel from abroad. Studio space for painting and music.
--Workshops and classrooms where our local artists can teach their skills to new generations of children who can learn about the proud history of their great grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and sisters.
--A library and technology lab (the nearest library right now is 35 miles away).
--An event center, day care center and senior activity center.
--A walking and biking trail to promote basic low impact exercising to contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
--Events and celebrations, such as weddings, reunions and more, being held on this rich and historic Blackbelt soil.

03/11/2025
Ms. Loretta Pettway Bennett - great interview.
03/10/2025

Ms. Loretta Pettway Bennett - great interview.

Podcast Episode · The Heart Gallery Podcast · 06/19/2024 · 43m

The Gee’s Bend Quilters are at the 60th Bridge Crossing Jubilee. Joined by Senator Robert Stewart after the crossing. Fi...
03/09/2025

The Gee’s Bend Quilters are at the 60th Bridge Crossing Jubilee. Joined by Senator Robert Stewart after the crossing.
Find them on Water Ave and Franklin - the most colorful corner in Selma today!
Find something you can’t live without of their one of a kind incredible quilts, blocks, bags, and our FQB Legacy tee shirts, books and other items.

60th Bridge Crossing Jubilee. You can find us and these amazing quilters of Gee’s Bend and Alberta at the corner of Wate...
03/08/2025

60th Bridge Crossing Jubilee. You can find us and these amazing quilters of Gee’s Bend and Alberta at the corner of Water Ave & Franklin In Selma

Meet and talk to the women whose families have lived, toiled and overcome on the same land since 1816.

Their artistry has and continues to influence the world of art, fashion and culture.

There are many ways to experience the community of Gee’s Bend, today and in the future.

We are looking forward to seeing you today and tomorrow at the Jubilee!

Visit us also at
GeesBend.org
VisitGeesBend.org
FQBLegacy.org
AiringoftheQuilts.org

We hope to see you at the 60th Jubilee on March 8 & 9! You can find the Quilters of Gee’s Bend at Water Ave and Franklin...
03/07/2025

We hope to see you at the 60th Jubilee on March 8 & 9! You can find the Quilters of Gee’s Bend at Water Ave and Franklin in downtown Selma beginning at 9am.

We look forward to seeing you at the Jubilee.



Alison Jacques, the gallerist from London who was instrumental in introducing the Quilts of Gee’s Bend to the European a...
03/06/2025

Alison Jacques, the gallerist from London who was instrumental in introducing the Quilts of Gee’s Bend to the European art market years ago, came for a visit to the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy and spent the day with a group of quilters.
Alison, Sephora Parish, Assistant Director and Alison’s husband Jonathan enjoyed two days in the community.

We were happy to provide a meaningful experience and a time with them. We hope they will come back soon - perhaps for the Airing of the Quilts Festival 2025!

Here’s some memories for everyone!

Administrative Assistant position OPEN 2/27/25 CLOSE 3/10/25 Work location is Alberta ALJob Description available by se...
02/27/2025

Administrative Assistant position OPEN 2/27/25 CLOSE 3/10/25
Work location is Alberta AL
Job Description available by sending an email to [email protected] or call 334-573-2065 or stop by the FQB at 4295 County Road 29, Alberta AL 36720.

02/27/2025

The Gee’s Bend Quilters will be at the 60th Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma! They will be selling their quilts and smaller items and engaging with all y’all at the Jubilee.
March 8th & March 9th.
The community of County Road 29 were prominently involved in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights struggles of the 60s. They were beaten back from the bridge. They made it to Montgomery on the March for Voting Rights.
We are appreciative of the request to participate in this 60th Jubilee Celebration! Looking forward to seeing you all there! We’ll be on the corner of on Water Ave. at Franklin the 8th and the 9th.

02/27/2025

Flora Moore’s Log Cabin variation is a dynamic expression of creativity sparked by a unique moment in history. In 1972, the Freedom Quilting Bee's contract with Sears led to the mass production of corduroy pillow covers, leaving behind colorful fabric scraps. These remnants, transformed by Moore and others into bold, one-of-a-kind quilts, represent a fusion of necessity and creativity. The scraps became vibrant, individualized works of art—each piece a testament to the resilience and artistry of the Gee's Bend community.

Flora Moore, Log Cabin variation, c. 1975
Corduroy, 83 x 92 inches
Collection of Souls Grown Deep

Flora Moore. Image: Matthew Arnett, 2002



Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy

The curator, guest curator and collections director of The National Quilt Museum (NQM) in Paducah KY were in the communi...
02/24/2025

The curator, guest curator and collections director of The National Quilt Museum (NQM) in Paducah KY were in the community this weekend.

They are curating their first ever Gee’s Bend Quilts exhibition beginning in August 2025. While here, they met many of the quilters, the Generation Next quilters, visited some of the quilters’ studios and toured Ms. Betty Anderson’s Quilt Museum.

From their visit, they will select quilts for their exhibition and merchandise made by other artisans on County Road 29 in Wilcox County AL.

We enjoyed their time here. They visited the Freedom Quilting Bee, the River Gallery, and the studios of Ms. Loretta Pettway Bennett, Ms. Marlene Bennett Jones, and Ms. Doris Mosely (a special treat)!





02/20/2025

on February 16th, in 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Gee's Bend and addressed a packed crowd of 300 at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. He encouraged Benders to join him in marching on the courthouse in Camden for their right to vote, preaching: “I come over here to Gee’s Bend tonight to tell you that you are somebody! I come over here tonight to tell you that you are God’s children. And that every man from a bass black to a treble white is significant on God’s keyboard."

We are meeting in the community today to discuss the site planning for the land and the building of the FQB. Lots of gre...
02/17/2025

We are meeting in the community today to discuss the site planning for the land and the building of the FQB.
Lots of great participation from these folks!
Brown Studio Architecture of Montgomery AL are great partners and the preeminent historical restoration architecture firm in the southeast.

Art, culture, and fashion are still influenced from this small community in Alabama.
02/16/2025

Art, culture, and fashion are still influenced from this small community in Alabama.

A group of Black Alabama artisans formed perhaps the most impressive quilting bee of all time. Now you can own a print of their museum-worthy work.

Come take advantage of FREE Will Preparation with Paula Lampkin of Alabama Legal Services. February 25th 9am-130pm. 1202...
02/15/2025

Come take advantage of FREE Will Preparation with Paula Lampkin of Alabama Legal Services. February 25th 9am-130pm.

12021 County Road 29
Gee’s Bend AL 36720

02/11/2025

We welcome your participation in the upcoming Site Planning Strategy Meeting for the FQB and its 14 acres of land.
We received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to develop a plan for the use of the property.
This session will be facilitated by the architectural partners - Brown Studio Architecture of Montgomery.
In a group setting we will discuss the history, the need for accommodations for visitors and tourists. From this we will have a cogent strategy to work towards.
The entire community is invited to join us on FEBRUARY 17th - 1030am-230pm at 4295 County Road 29, Alberta 36720.

The first CPR and Basic First Aid Training class was held tonight at the Freedom Quilting Bee. Register for the upcoming...
02/11/2025

The first CPR and Basic First Aid Training class was held tonight at the Freedom Quilting Bee. Register for the upcoming classes by calling 334-573-2065 OR email us at [email protected].
Next class February 24th at 10:30am
These classes made possible by a grant from the Black Belt Community Foundation.

Address

4295 County Road 29
Alberta, AL
36720

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+13345732065

Website

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Videos

The community of Gee’s Bend and Alberta hosted the Black Belt/Selma/Gee’s Bend familiarization tour with the leader and preeminent expert on Eco-tourism - Costas Christ. Our friends from Mobile and Selma came to the community to meet and learn about the history/community Pride/tourism attractions on County Road 29. Present were the President of the Clotilda Descendants Association - Jeremy Ellis. He was introduced to the descendants of Ms. Dina Miller - Clotilda survivor who settled in Gee’s Bend after the Civil War. Ellis connected with the local descendants; Ms. Loretta Pettway Bennet and Ms Zsaques Pettway (3rd great and 5th great granddaughters). We look forward to more experiences with our good friends from Mobile.

Gee’s Bend x Target collaboration on display in Memphis TN. Such a fabulous opportunity for Gee’s Bend quilters. Smiling big for these women.

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