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Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole Documentary

@geesbendwtth

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Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole documentary coming soon
#GeesBendWTTH
(Fiscally-sponsored by @southerndocfund)
Donation link & more details below 👇🏾

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It’s 30 Days of SDF, y’all! 🎉⁠
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We’re excited to kick off a month-long celebration of the work Southern Documentary Fund does to support Southern makers and the powerful projects they bring to life.⁠
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Check out this video from Phillip Loken (@studiophill_ ), Director and Producer of @geesbendwtth , as he shares what SDF means to him and why telling Southern stories matters now more than ever.⁠
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Learn more about SDF by clicking the link in the bio! by @geesbendwtth

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9 months ago

So many things went better than good on this trip. The @geesbendwtth team had an amazing time at this year’s #AiringOfTheQuilts festival in #GeesBend (@visitgeesbend)!
I absolutely want to thank the ancestors first for lookin’ out for us, laying the ground work in their lifetimes to make our work that much more possible, and just bein’ some down ass Afrikans and New Afrikans dedicated to the liberation of our people.
Martha Jane Pettway, Rubin Bendolph Jr., Aunt Deborah, Fannie Lou Hamer, Cudjo Lewis, Omowale El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), Estelle Witherspoon, Marcus Garvey; just to name a few.
We’ve got a fuller recap on the way for our @geesbendwtth page, but I just wanted to share a little myself of our experience.
Thank you to everyone we connected with out there. I wish we took more pictures together lol !
So proud of the team too!! Shoutout to @xsaviorism, @c_jefferson_, @julian_argo, and @afro_daakye for holdin it down on this trip and throughout the whole project. Shoutout @byarielbrown & @auntyenii_ who couldn’t make it, but are ESSENTIAL to this project as well!
Huge shoutout to the organizers of this year’s festival @fqb.legacy and @sewgeesbend_heritagebuilders; amazing job!
Images 1, 5, and 7 courtesy of the highly skilled elder @gusbennettphoto; appreciate you dearly brotha!
#GeesBendWTTH taken in Gee's Bend, Alabama by @geesbendwtth

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15 days ago

Airing of the Quilts Festival Feature ☀️ Visit the River Gallery for a special sneak peek of the upcoming documentary film Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole.

Executive produced by Brian Xsavior Pettway, Gee’s Bend descendant and great-grandson of quiltmaker and community leader Martha Jane Pettway, Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole gives an insider’s perspective on the nuances that have shaped this community and the lives of those living in it.

To learn more about the film follow @geesbendwtth.

#aotq #geesbend #community #film #documentary taken in Gee's Bend, Alabama by @geesbendwtth

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24 days ago

Something special is coming to this year’s Airing of the Quilts Festival.

Our team will be there alongside the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy @fqb.legacy, Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders @sewgeesbend_heritagebuilders, and many others celebrating the stories, artistry, and legacy that continue to inspire us all.

Check out www.airingofthequilts.org to get your tickets. Join us. You won’t want to miss this one.

We’re extremely close completing this film and we need your help! If you’d like to support this documentary through a tax-deductible donation, visit the link in our bio, or DM this page for more details.
We are also accepting donations via checks and wire transfers; DM or email us at
GeesBendWTTH@Gmail.com if you’d like more details on either donation method.
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#GeesBend #GeesBendWTTH #BlackArtists
#airingofthequilts #FreedomQuiltingBee taken in Gee's Bend, Alabama by @geesbendwtth

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25 days ago

Meet the presenters behind Ethical & Community-Centered Storytelling, a featured session of TSA's 2026 Fall Colloquium, (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal.
This conversation brings together members of the Gee's Bend: Welcome To The Hole (@geesbendwtth) film team to explore documentary storytelling, the rich textile traditions of Gee's Bend, and the responsibilities that come with sharing community stories through film.
Swipe to meet the speakers:
• Brian Xsavior Pettway (X The Artist) — Executive Producer & Protagonist
• Phillip Loken (@studiophill_) — Director, Producer & Co-Director of Photography
• Courtney Jefferson (@c_jefferson_) — Co-Director of Photography
• Keidra Daniels Navaroli, Ph.D. — Moderator, curator, art historian, and member of TSA's Membership, Outreach, and Programs Committee

Join us virtually on October 8, 2026, for (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal, a half-day gathering exploring resilience, renewal, and regenerative futures through textiles.
Registration is now open. Learn more and register through the link in bio or visit textilesocietyofamerica.org. by @geesbendwtth

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3 months ago

We are excited to welcome the creative team behind Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole to the 2026 TSA Fall Colloquium: (re)Generation: Fibers of Resilience & Renewal.
This session, “Ethical & Community-Centered Storytelling: A Conversation with Keidra Daniels Navaroli & the Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole film team,” will feature a preview of the documentary project followed by a moderated conversation with members of the film team.
Gee’s Bend: Welcome To The Hole (@geesbendwtth) explores the history, artistry, and community connected to the Gee’s Bend quilting tradition through documentary storytelling. The session will consider the relationships between textile practices, cultural histories, and the ways communities share their stories.
Join us virtually on October 8, 2026, for the TSA Fall Colloquium. Learn more and register via the link in bio or visit textilesocietyofamerica.org.
Image: Mary Ann Pettway, manager of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective. Photograph by Phillip Loken. by @geesbendwtth

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3 months ago

Happy Father’s Day!

Today we would like to honor some of the men who contribute to the community of Gee’s Bend.

While the women and their quilts have become some of the most recognized and impactful symbols of Gee’s Bend, the fathers, grandfathers, and men of the community have also played a vital role in shaping its history, culture, and legacy. Their hard work, leadership, faith, and dedication have helped sustain generations of families and preserve the spirit of the community.

Featured above are photographs by our director, @studiophill_, documenting some of the fathers of the community and celebrating their lasting contributions to Gee’s Bend.

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and father figures. Today, we honor you!

We’re $7,000 away from completing this film and we need your help! If you’d like to support this documentary through a tax-deductible donation, visit the link in our bio, or DM this page for more details.
We are also accepting donations via checks and wire transfers; DM or email us at
GeesBendWTTH@Gmail.com if you’d like more details on either donation method.
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#sdfsupported #documentaryfilm #GeesBend #GeesBendWTTH #fathersday by @geesbendwtth

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4 months ago

Happy Women’s History Month!

This month (and every month), we are honored to highlight the contributions of the women of the Gee’s Bend community. While there are many powerful elements woven into the history and culture of Gee’s Bend, the tradition of quiltmaking has long stood as a cornerstone of the community.

In Gee’s Bend, history isn’t just remembered, it’s stitched, layered, and carried forward through generations. The women didn’t simply assemble quilts; they sourced the materials, processed the fabric, and ensured that every piece was crafted with care and quality. Strength, resourcefulness, and artistry live in every stitch.

Featured in today’s reel is Ms. Tangular A. Irby (@geesbendmade): author, educator, and descendant of the Gee’s Bend quilters. In this clip, Ms. Irby shares one of the many challenges in the quiltmaking process: pushing a needle through thick fabrics such as denim. A reminder that even the smallest stitch requires intention and resilience.

We’re $7,000 from completing this film and we need your help! If you’d like to help support the completion of this documentary through a tax-deductible donation, visit the link in our bio, or DM this page for more details. We are also accepting donations via checks and wire transfers; DM or email us at
GeesBendWTTH@Gmail.com if you’d like more details on either donation method.
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#womenshistorymonth #blackdocumentaries #blackquilters #quiltmaking #geesbend taken in Gee's Bend, Alabama by @geesbendwtth

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7 months ago

Before names were written in books, stories were written into soil. Fields carried footsteps. Trees stood witness, and rivers carried prayers.

Black history isn’t only in the people we name. It’s in the ground they built on. The land they worked. The paths they walked over and over again.

Featured above are photographs by our director, @studiophill_ documenting the land and the sites that stand as witnesses to our history; grounding the story in the places that made it possible.

Black history is geography. If we forget the land, we miss half the story.

We’re $7,000 away from completing this film and we need your help! If you’d like to support this documentary through a tax-deductible donation, visit the link in our bio, or DM this page for more details.
We are also accepting donations via checks and wire transfers; DM or email us at
GeesBendWTTH@Gmail.com if you’d like more details on either donation method.
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#sdfsupported #documentaryfilm #GeesBend #GeesBendWTTH #blackhistorymonth taken in Gee's Bend, Alabama by @geesbendwtth

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8 months ago

Happy Black History Month!

During our May Day 2024 visit to Gee’s Bend, we sat down with family historian and Naturopathic Herbalist Kisha Pettway Porcher (@thinka_belle, @sweetmarthasholistic). She shared a treasure trove of stories that illuminate the rich, layered history of Gee’s Bend and the community that keeps its legacy alive.

In the 1930s, Gee’s Bend faced near collapse when families lost their livelihoods overnight. Federal programs like the Farm Security Administration stepped in—building homes, creating a cooperative, and for the first time giving Black residents ownership of the land they worked.

Looking back, the land Gee’s Bend is on was originally stewarded by the Muscogee Nation, but was later ceded to the U.S. After the American Civil War in 1865, a system of
tenancy and sharecropping developed in Gee’s Bend as it did throughout the American South.

Fast forward, The residents of Gee’s Bend continued the rich culture of Black resistance and activism throughout the late 60s and 70s by helping found the Freedom Quilting Bee (@fqb.legacy) and planning protests, school strikes, boycotts, and marches.

During Black History Month, Gee’s Bend stands as a powerful example of how access, equity, and community resilience helped shape Black self-determination in America.

We’re $7,000 away from completing this film and we need your help! If you’d like to support this documentary through a tax-deductible donation, visit the link in our bio, or DM this page for more details.
We are also accepting donations via checks and wire transfers; DM or email us at
GeesBendWTTH@Gmail.com if you’d like more details on either donation method.
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#sdfsupported #documentaryfilm #GeesBend #GeesBendWTTH #blackhistorymonth taken in Gee's Bend, Alabama by @geesbendwtth

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8 months ago

Happy MLK Jr. Day.

As we reflect on the legacies passed down by previous generations, we want to highlight Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Gee’s Bend (Boykin, Alabama) in 1965. During a pivotal time in Alabama’s Civil Rights history, his presence left a lasting impact on the community.

Featured here is an excerpt from John Gragg, 95, one of the oldest members of the Gee’s Bend community (@visitgeesbend), recalling the day Dr. King came to Gee’s Bend. He shares how Dr. King “woke them up” and inspired them to “get busy.”

John shared this and many other stories during our 2024 visit for the Airing of the Quilts Festival. The voices of our community elders and leaders carry deep history, wisdom, and truth. They deserve to be honored and celebrated as often as possible.

With filming nearly complete, one final production date remains
If you’d like to help support the completion of this documentary through a tax-deductible donation,visit the link in our bio, or DM this page for more details.
We are also accepting donations via checks and wire transfers; DM or email us at
GeesBendWTTH@Gmail.com if you’d like more details on either donation method.
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#mlkday #martinlutherkingday #geesbend #sdfsupported #documentaryfilm #quiltinglegacy #blackdocumentary #communitystories #blackartspace #southerndocumentaryfund #geesbendwtth #blackquilters #blackfineart #mlkjrday #martinlutherkingjr by @geesbendwtth

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9 months ago