Willie Abrams

Willie Abrams (1897–1987), also known as Ma Willie, was an American artist. She was a member of the Freedom Quilting Bee, along with her daughter Estelle Witherspoon, and is associated with the Gee's Bend quilters. Some of “Ma” Willie’s quilts are in the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

Biography
“Ma Willie" Abrams was born in 1897 in Wilcox County Alabama, where she was raised by her grandmother. “Ma” Willie was one of the oldest participating members until her death in 1987. She began quilting at the age of twelve, with the guidance of her grandmother. While she did know how to use a sewing machine, she normally chose to work by hand. “Ma” Willie and her husband Eugene Abrams were tenant farmers, which they continued until the Quilting Bee provided them with an alternative way to earn a living. “Ma” Willie would mostly craft bonnets for the Bee, which were to be sold for $2 a piece. When “Ma” Willie did quilt she preferred to do so at her own home instead of at the sewing center, often choosing to sew on her front porch.

Exhibitions

 * "Revelations: Art from the African American South." - De Young Museum. June 3rd to April 1st, 2018.
 * "Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt." - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. June 4th to September 4th, 2006.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. September 6th to November 10th, 2002.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Whitney Museum of American Art. November 21st, 2002, to March 9th, 2003.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Mobile Museum of Art. June 14th to August 31st 2003.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Milwaukee Art Museum. September 27th, 2003 to January 4th, 2004.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Corcoran Gallery of Art. February 14th to May 17th 2004.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Cleveland Museum of Art. June 27th to September 12th, 2004.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Chrysler Museum of Art. October 15th, 2004 to January 2nd, 2005.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. February 13th to May 8th, 2005.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. June 1st to August 21st, 2005.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University. September 11th to December 4th, 2005.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - High Museum of Art. March 25th to June 18th, 2006.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, M. H. De Young Memorial Museum. July 15th to November 12th 2006.
 * "Gee's Bend: The Architecture of a Quilt." - Orlando Museum of Art. January 28th to April 22nd, 2007.
 * "Gee's Bend: The Architecture of a Quilt." -Walters Art Museum. June 17th to August 26th, 2008.
 * "The Quilts of Gee's Bend." - Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. September 6th, 2007 to January 7th, 2008.
 * "Gee's Bend: The Architecture of a Quilt." - Denver Museum of Art. April 13th to July 6th, 2008.
 * "Gee's Bend: The Architecture of a Quilt." - Philadelphia Museum of Art. August 2nd to October 2nd, 2008.