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Women from Gee's Bend, 2005 ONB Magic City Art Connection, Birmingham, AL. Courtesy anatta [http://www.flickr.com/people/acnatta/].If you're serious about American art, then you're probably familiar with the Gee's Bend Quilters Collective. For six generations, talented African American women in the rural community of Gee's Bend, Alabama, have been known for their unique style of quilting that draws from modern art as well as American quilting traditions. The Gee's Bend Quilts Windows 7 Theme celebrates these artists with six beautiful examples of their craft.

"Hands" by Sarah Mary Taylor (1980)Mary Lee Bendolph's blue-toned work-clothes quilt was made of denim and cotton. That's followed by Creola B. Pettway's red-and-white "Housetop--Half-Log Cabin Variation." Irene Williams' bold "Blocks and Strips" was made of blue and red double-knit fabric. Qunnie Pettway created her "Bricklayer Variation" of red and white corduroy. In "Medallion" Loretta P. Bennett used colors similar to Williams' "Blocks and Strips," but with a very different effect. We close with something completely different--Sarah Mary Taylor's piecework and appliqué quilt "Hands," shown here.

These beautiful photographs were produced by Chicago-area photographer Steve Pitkin, who generously extended permission for their use in this Windows 7 theme. To learn more about the quilters of Gee's Bend and their rich tradition, Steve suggests these resources: The Quilts of Gee's Bend, by William Arnett; Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt, by Paul Arnett et al.; Signs and Symbols: African Images in African American Quilts, by Maude Southwell Wahlman; The Quilts of Gee's Bend (DVD); and How We Got Over: Sacred Songs of Gee's Bend, (audio CD).

If you love abstract art and are interested in traditional American artforms, you should download the free Gee's Bend Quilts Windows 7 Theme.

Note: To install the Windows 7 theme, just unzip the archive file and double-click the themepack within. Windows does the rest.

--Kim Saccio-Kent