They made one-of-a-kind quilts that captured the public’s imagination. Then Target came along

By Anna Furman | The Associated Press This photo provided by Tangular Irby shows a Gee’s Bend x Target display at a Target store in Trumbull, Conn., Feb. 10, 2024. The multinational retailer launched a limited-edition collection based on the Gee’s Bend quilters’ designs for Black History Month in 2024. The Target designs were “inspired by” five Gee’s Bend quilters who reaped limited financial benefits from the collection’s success. (Tangular Irby via AP) (AP) – Over the past two decades, Gee’s Bend quilts have captured the public’s imagination with their kaleidoscopic colors and their daring geometric patterns. The groundbreaking art practice was cultivated by direct descendants of slaves in rural Alabama who have faced oppression, geographic isolation and intense material constraints. As of this year, their improvisational art has also come to embody a very modern question: What happens when distinctive cultural tradition collides with corporate America? Enter Target. The retailer launched a limited-edition collection based on the quilters’ designs for Black History Month this year. Consumer appetites proved to be high as many stores around the country sold out of the checkered sweaters, water bottles and faux-quilted blankets. “We’re actually in a quilt revival right now, like in real...