Gee's Bend Quilt Collective

Alabama


The African American quilt makers of Gee's Bend – officially, Boykin, AL – are the inheritors of a tradition that has been recognized as one of the nation's great art forms. An arresting blend of geometric shapes, each bearing deep symbology, come together into homemade tapestries that have been exhibited around the world. The quilters and their work can be found in this deeply impoverished corner of South Alabama; visitors can learn about their art and the conditions still impacting this region.

The quilters often work from around 8:30am to 1:30pm, but you should call before visiting, as there is no guarantee anyone will be around. The phone number should connect you to someone who can help arrange a visit to the collective. Note that quilts can run as much as $10,000, although other forms of folk art are on offer.

The easiest way here, if coming from the south, is via the Gee's Bend Ferry. As the collective is separated from nearby Camden by an oxbow curve of the Alabama River, the looping drive between the two communities measures 40 miles. The car ferry, which departs five times a day, significantly shortens that distance to about 6 miles. Note that hours are always subject to change, so call ahead for crossing times.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Alabama attractions

2. Old Cahawba Archaeological Park

20.17 MILES

This eerie ghost town, faded by time and jungly overgrowth, was once the capital of Alabama. By the 20th century, Cahawba was abandoned, and today its…

3. National Voting Rights Museum

27.69 MILES

This museum, located near the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, tells the tale of the Selma to Montgomery march, and includes exhibits on women's suffrage…

4. Edmund Pettus Bridge

27.81 MILES

Few sites are as iconic to the American Civil Rights movement as the Pettus Bridge. On March 7, 1965, a crowd prepared to march to Montgomery to…

5. Selma Interpretive Center

27.88 MILES

This museum, near the north side of the Pettus Bridge, has a small interpretive center that fleshes out the history and narrative of the Jim Crow South,…

6. Riverfront Park

28 MILES

This small, pleasant park is a good spot for a walk and to take in views of the Alabama River and Pettus Bridge.

8. Mishkan Israel

28.07 MILES

This enormous red-brick synagogue once housed a thriving local Jewish community. Many of the members of said community have left the South, but…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/alabama/south-alabama/attractions/gee-s-bend-quilt-collective/a/poi-sig/1613541/1342606",
      "destination": "Alabama",
      "continent": "North-America",
      "country": "USA",
      "region": "Alabama",
      "position": "superzone"
    }