An Alabama native is getting recognition for her quilt making. The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has chosen Yvonne Wells as the first artist in its “spotlight series."
The City of Montgomery said in a release that the series will "tell new and innovative stories about American art by expanding notions of art and design to include functional objects and their unique contexts."
Wells specializes in narrative storytelling through quilts. She is known for her scenes depicting the Bible and the Civil Rights Movement. The two pieces on display portray Helen Keller and the Negro Baseball League.
The museum said Wells initially approached her work with a practical purpose in mind; using found scraps of fabric, she took up quilting during the cold winter months of 1979 to keep her and her children warm. With no prior sewing experience, Wells experimented with different techniques rather than using existing patterns. After determining that following a pattern did not provide enough creative freedom, in 1984, Wells began creating quilts to visually address her experiences during the Civil Rights Movement as well as religious, historical, and sociopolitical concerns.
Jennifer Jankauskas is the curator of the exhibit. She spoke of Wells’ ability to transform a practical item into a piece of fine art through her storytelling.
“She always says that she is not very articulate through words, but that she gets her thoughts out through her quilt making," she explained. "She defines her art through what she calls “The Three H’s” – what the head sees, what the heart feels, and what the hand can create.”
Although Wells started quilting early in life for practical reasons, Jankauskas explained that her work is also a form of fine art.
“In the South, there has been a long tradition of quilt making. And in the case of Yvonne Wells, I think she was somebody who very early on decided to forge her own path with quilt making, and really go in this narrative storytelling direction, which is unusual.”
The exhibit featuring Wells runs through June 4th at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
