Aurélia Martin & Mathilde Van Steenkiste

Quilt and Care is a research, meeting, and exchange project centered around two themes: textiles and autism. 

Supported by medical researchers and our local network of designers and academics, we will draw inspiration from Gee’s Bend Quilts assemblages, colors, and materials to design an educational textile tool for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, enabling them to tell stories. 

Since the mid-19th century, African-American women, known as the weavers of Gee’s Bend, a small rural town in Alabama with 700 inhabitants, have been crafting quilts. The patterns are simple, geometric, asymmetrical, and feature bold color combinations. Initially using work clothes, food sacks, or fabric remnants, the women of Gee’s Bend, spanning up to four generations within the same family, pass down both craftsmanship and a rich history. This community stands out for preserving traditional skills and fostering mutual support. These quilts serve as witnesses to the life of the community, illustrating both significant moments in its collective history and more personal narratives. 

The TEACCH method, developed in the 1970s by Eric Schopler in North Carolina, focuses on the connection between individuals with autism, their families, and medical caregivers in institutions. This program promotes social community integration and specialized education in regular environments.  

We are particularly interested in the TEACCH method for this project as it enables the creation of communication aids to support autonomy and self-determination. Individuals with autism exhibit unique sensory processing characteristics. The visual and tactile systems are two of the seven highly developed sensory systems in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The significance of sensory experiences is undeniable; they play a crucial role in a child’s development, understanding the environment, communication, and judgment. This residency provides us with an opportunity to strengthen a network of practices on both sides of the ocean. 

Vision and touch are the most heightened senses in individuals with autism. The assembly of fabrics in various colors and textures offers a non-verbal means of expression to tell a story or communicate during an activity. 

Our research project focuses on two practices that originated in the USA: quilting and the TEACCH method. Specifically in the Villa Atlanta sector. 

First, we will explore the community of Gee’s Bend Weavers in Boykin, Alabama which is currently a supportive community of women that has been able to produce and preserve textile works (Quilts) since the 19th century. The Quilts bear witness to the life of this community, illustrating both significant moments in its collective history and more personal narratives. The goal of this encounter is to discover the richness of Gee’s Bend Quilt textiles, the shapes, colors, and assemblies that tell unique stories. 

Second, we’ll participate in Raymond’s workshops during a week in Mississippi, facilitated by the Gee’s Bend Weavers community to learn Quilt making. We intend to create an archive, a series of interviews with the women of Gee’s Bend, who will narrate the history behind the patterns. 

In Atlanta and North Carolina, we have identified research locations for the autism and health dimension. In this section, we aim to understand the various innovations implemented by researchers, academics and designers. We aspire to create a recreational and educational textile tool inspired by Gee’s Bend Quilts, allowing children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to have a medium for expression and emotion. 

“We can see the struggle, joy, sadness, happiness, all these different emotions in these quilts.” – Loretta Pettway Bennett (1960-), Gee’s Bend Weaver.