We Will Walk at the Turner Contemporary

Turner Contemporary Margate

We will walk is the title of a show of mainly folk art from the Deep South of the US. I was particularly interested because of the inclusion of many quilts especially those from Gees Bend. I knew that Boykin in Gees Bend had been increasingly isolated after the ferry service ceased. I didn't realise this was a deliberate step to stop black residents registering to vote or voting. Similar tactics operated elsewhere including victimising white employers who allowed their black workers to register or vote. There were many photographs of scenes from the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's.  . I learnt about Emmet Till and how his murderers escaped justice and wonder how long it will be before equality under the law is realised. I also learnt about yard art and how the human spirit seeks to express itself under the most arduous and limiting circumstances.
This was the quilt facing me as I entered and one of the most resonant.

And the quilt which caught the collector's eye is on the cover of this book.