In 2006, the U.S. Postal Service chose ten quilts created by the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama, and issued a book of 39¢ stamps as "American Treasures: Quilts of Gee's Bend." Inspired by the exhibit of the quilts at the Philadelphia Art Museum, the life stories of the women of Gee's Bend, and the recent pandemic and social unrest, Maine fiber artist Susan Hess has replicated the ten stamps in miniature using weaving and embroidery techniques. She has self-published an autobiographic book entitled Miniature Echoes Through the Art of the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers. Susan exhibits the artwork and presents programs to share how endeavors of creative imagination can reorient the societal, cultural, and personal considerations of one’s awareness.
The Artist
Susan Hess learned to weave when she moved to Islesboro, Maine, some twenty years ago. After spending a few years on the island, she and her loom moved to Georgetown, ME. She has taken classes at Halcyon Yarn in Bath, and studied in 2002 and 2013 at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, where she hopes to continue her studies this summer.
If you are interested in scheduling an exhibit or purchasing Susan's book or note cards showing replicas of the ten stamps, contact her at:
P.O. Box 243
Georgetown, ME 04548
susanhess1267@gmail.com
If you are interested in learning more about Gee's Bend and the quiltmakers, visit soulsgrowndeep.org.