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Craft - Fiber Jackson, MS Biography Background: A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers and Their Stories. Roland Freeman, 1996. Color Play. Wolfrom, Joen, 2000.
Journey of the Spirit: The Art of Gwendolyn A. Magee. Mississippi Museum of Art, 2004. Mississippi Quilts. Mary Elizabeth Johnson, 2001. Portfolio 12. Studio Art Quilt Associates publication, 2005. Spirits of the Cloth: Contemporary African American Quilts. Carolyn Mazloomi, 1998. Textural Rhythms: Quilting the Jazz Tradition. Carolyn Mazloomi, 2007. The Mississippi Story. Mississippi Museum of Art, 2007. Threads of Faith: Recent Works From the Women of Color Quilters Network. Carolyn Mazloomi and Patricia C. Pongracz, 2004. COLLECTIONS: "Five Years Hard Labor" - Mississippi Museum of Art Artist Statement Textiles, fibers and threads are my artistic medium of choice, but color drives my art. Whether the palette is vivid, vibrant, lush – or muted, subdued, somber, it is color that sets the tone and establishes the mood appropriate for the subject at hand. It creates an energy that infuses the work and engages the viewer. Intricate patterning is used to subtly or explicitly reinforce each artwork’s theme. Textural elements are incorporated that intrigue and tantalize the viewer with the desire to engage it through their sense of touch. Using the format of the quilt as my voice, my art is concentrated within two primary formats: Each artwork is designed as a forum for dialogue and communication. Each is an open invitation for the viewer to embark with me on a "journey of the spirit".
Quote: "As I review Gwen's work to date and have come to understand her artistic approach, I am struck by the strength with which she captures and communicates her feelings in her representational and abstract work. Her abstract and literal interpretations, wonderful sense of color, and choice of materials are combined powerfully and presented in works of meticulous craftsmanship. Often, particularly in thinking about the Lift Every Voice and Sing series, I'm reminded of the work of Jacob Lawrence, and I believe that someday Gwen's work may be considered equally with Lawrence's Migration series."
Roland L. Freeman
photodocumentarian, author and founder The Group for Cultural Documentation "Tough, provocative, honest - these words best describe Gwen Magee's approach to her work and the content of much of her art". René Paul Barilleaux
Curator of Contemporary Art McNay Museum of Art "The flawlessly executed quilts of Gwen Magee are visual dramas held up to the face of America that should be required viewing for any human being who wished to inflict a positive change in race relations…Magee's quilts detail the unspeakable suffering, humiliation, and indignity endured by African Americans…and their capacity to rise above their difficult circumstances to become even greater in spirit." In Journey of the Spirit: The Art of Gwendolyn A. Magee, the Mississippi Museum of Art has provided the American art community with one of its most defining moments. Not only does the Museum showcase the remarkable art of Gwendolyn Magee, but this endeavor is a definitive response to a popular yet challenging assumption about African American quilts." |