Sewing for Glory

The museum brought 16 of the quilters — including the oldest, 90-year-old Nettie Young — to town for a long weekend of public appearances, including a book signing at the opening reception and a panel discussion. They were as lively as you might expect them to be based on their quilting, engaging in spirited explanations of their work and performing a stirring rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" on opening night. It was a fine example of their long tradition of singing hymns while they quilt.

But in the end, the quilts themselves leave the most lingering impressions. As Michael Kimmelman, an art critic at the New York Times, has written, the quilts "turn out to be some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced. Imagine Matisse and Klee arising not from rarefied Europe, but from the caramel soil of the rural South."

"The Quilts of Gee's Bend" is meant to be a lead-in to the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale's 50th-anniversary celebration. It's an excellent start.