The Fall ENTICE Series at the University of Tennessee at Martin includes a quilt exhibit, “Stitches, Stories and Strength: The Collaborative Quilts of Gee’s Bend and UT Martin,” held through Saturday, Oct. 17, in the Fine Arts Building Gallery.
These quilts were created by famed quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and by UT Martin students in a spring 2026 class taught by Dr. Henri Giles, assistant professor of African American studies. Mary Margaret Pettway of Gee’s Bend – whose quiltwork is included in that exhibit – was the artist-in-residence for that class, called “Storytelling Through Quilts.”
Gallery hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Friday. The exhibit is free and open to the public. There will be a closing reception from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17.
The theme for the Fall ENTICE Series is “Our Freedom, Our Future,” recognizing the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Series has hosted noted speakers like Bill Haley Jr., co-founder of the Inherited Roots Project and grandson of world-famous author Alex Haley, and Rissi Palmer, who made history in 2007 when her breakout single “Country Girl” became the first song by an African American female artist to chart on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs since 1988.
ENTICE stands for “Evolving Narratives: Tennessee Initiative for Civic Engagement.” Continuing in the tradition of UT Martin’s Civil Rights Conference, which ran from 2001 to 2025, the Fall ENTICE Series blends a slate of speakers with the arts, social topics and student-related events.
For more information about UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu or call 731-881-7000.
PHOTO: Mary Margaret Pettway (left), a master quilter from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and the artist-in-residence for a quilting class at UT Martin, shows Jayda Cole of Jackson, a sophomore family and consumer science major, some of the tricks of the trade. Quilts from Pettway and the students in this spring 2026 class are on display at the Fine Arts Building Gallery through Oct. 17.
