Gallery Talk and Q&A: Loretta Pettway Bennett

Loretta Pettway Bennett, Gee’s Bend quiltmaker and “Squaring up Histories” exhibiting artist

Loretta Pettway Bennett is a fifth-generation quilter from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and one of the youngest to continue hand-stitching quilts in the renowned Gee’s Bend style. Born December,1960, she is the second of eight children and oldest daughter of Tom O. and Qunnie Elizabeth Pettway Jr., one of the original Gee’s Bend quilters.  Her ancestry traces back to Dinah Miller, a great-great-great grandmother, who, according to folklore and family history, was one of the first slaves to have arrived in the Bend. She combines bold colors and her own family legacy with influences from travelling widely overseas and within the United States. In 2006, Loretta Bennett completed an etching titled “Yellow Jacket” for the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies. It is on display in over 20 embassies around the world.