Tangular Irby

A 27-year veteran in the field of education, Tangular A. Irby is also the granddaughter of Gee's Bend quilters, Pearlie Kennedy Pettway and Jensie Lee Irby. Tangular Irby grew up admiring the beauty of the quilts gifted to her by family. Quilting became a way to honor the legacy of her maternal and paternal grandmothers, Gee's Bend quilters, who passed on long before their creations were recognized as more than just a means to keep their families warm. Pearl and Her Gee’s Bend Quilt is inspired by countless family conversations over the decades and the artistry of Gee’s Bend resident, quilter, and relative of the author Mary Leathea Pettway.

Michelle Black-Smith


Michelle Black Smith is a writer, curator, educator, and cultural historian. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Art History at Princeton University, and her Master’s Degree in Museum Studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
Black Smith specializes in the material culture of the African Diaspora. Black Smith has acted as guest curator, lecturer or consultant to numerous museums, arts organizations and cultural and educational institutions, including but not limited to: the Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Museum, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Motown Historical Museum, and the original Black Fashion Museum in Harlem. She is a co-founder of a charter elementary school in Bridgeport, CT. Her 2020 exhibition, We Are Artists Every One: The Art Center in Action, 1970 -1986 can be viewed on the CT Digital Archive website.

Book Summary

Pearl and Her Gee’s Bend Quilt is a heartwarming tale told through the eyes of a child who has spent hours watching her grandmother work her magic with a needle and thread. During a playdate, Pearl reveals that she too, wants to be a Gee’s Bend quilter one day, just like her grandmother. Proving to her friends that she has what it takes to be a quilter, Pearl’s story also provides a brief history of the works of art by her ancestors that are admired around the world.