Perhaps the most stunning example of imperfect harmony for me is a set of artworks from a tiny community in rural Alabama. The quilts of Gee’s Bend seem to radiate an ecstatic balance while simultaneously challenging all the tenets of pattern and symmetry. I first encountered these quilts on a series of postage stamps, and I was struck by their unusual rhythms even at that size. Gee’s Bend quilts don’t follow the highly structured blueprints of most quilting traditions.
