What happens when our most intimate possessions end up in art museums?

Today, Harlem Is Everywhere is featuring an episode from another podcast from The Met called Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time. Each episode tells the stories of artists' materials to explore how and why people make art.

In this episode, we cover blankets and quilts. Blankets comfort and keep us warm. They accompany us through our lives. They are keepers of some of our most intimate stories. We look at a group of artists who harness this power of blankets and quilts as totems for memory, community and cultural survival.

Guests:

Loretta Pettway Bennett, Gee's Bend quilt maker

Marie Watt, artist

Ally Barlow, associate conservator, Department of Textile Conservation, The Met

Louisiana P. Bendolph, Gee's Bend quilt maker

Louise Williams, board president, Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy

Featured artworks:

Qunnie Pettway, Housetop, ca. 1975: https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/qunnie-pettway/work/housetop

Marie Watt, Untitled (Dream Catcher), 2014: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/849042

Louisiana P. Bendolph, Housetop quilt, 2003: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654095

Annie E. Pettway, “Flying Geese” Variation, ca. 1935: https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/annie-e-pettway/work/flying-geese-variation

Willie "Ma Willie" Abrams, Roman Stripes quilt, ca. 1975: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654081

For a transcript of the episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterialblankets

#MetImmaterial

Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camille Dungy.

Our production staff includes Salman Ahad Khan, Ann Collins, Samantha Henig, Eric Nuzum, Emma Vecchione, Sarah Wambold, and Jamie York. Additional staff includes Julia Bordelon, Skyla Choi, Maria Kozanecka, and Rachel Smith.

Sound design by Ariana Martinez and Kristin Muller.
Original music by Austin Fisher.
Fact-checking by Mary Mathis and Claire Hyman.
Sensitivity listening by Adwoa Gyimyah-Brempong.

Immaterial is made possible by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Additional support is provided by the Zodiac Fund.

Special thanks to Eva Labson, Scott Browning, Curator Amelia Peck, and Avery Trufelman.

What happens when our most intimate possessions end up in art museums? Today, Harlem Is Everywhere is featuring an episode from another podcast from The Met called Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time. Each episode tells the stories of artists' materials to explore how and why people make art.
In this episode, we cover blankets and quilts. Blankets comfort and keep us warm. They accompany us through our lives. They are keepers of some of our most intimate stories. We look at a group of artists who harness this power of blankets and quilts as totems for memory, community and cultural survival.
Guests:
Loretta Pettway Bennett, Gee's Bend quilt maker
Marie Watt, artist
Ally Barlow, associate conservator, Department of Textile Conservation, The Met
Louisiana P. Bendolph, Gee's Bend quilt maker
Louise Williams, board president, Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy
Featured artworks:
Qunnie Pettway, Housetop, ca. 1975: <a href="https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/qunnie-pettway/work/housetop">https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/qunnie-pettway/work/housetop</a>
Marie Watt, Untitled (Dream Catcher), 2014: <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/849042">https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/849042</a>
Louisiana P. Bendolph, Housetop quilt, 2003: <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654095">https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654095</a>
Annie E. Pettway, “Flying Geese” Variation, ca. 1935: <a href="https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/annie-e-pettway/work/flying-geese-variation">https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/annie-e-pettway/work/flying-geese-variation</a>
Willie "Ma Willie" Abrams, Roman Stripes quilt, ca. 1975: <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654081">https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654081</a>
For a transcript of the episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterialblankets
#MetImmaterial
Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camille Dungy.
Our production staff includes Salman Ahad Khan, Ann Collins, Samantha Henig, Eric Nuzum, Emma Vecchione, Sarah Wambold, and Jamie York. Additional staff includes Julia Bordelon, Skyla Choi, Maria Kozanecka, and Rachel Smith.
Sound design by Ariana Martinez and Kristin Muller. Original music by Austin Fisher. Fact-checking by Mary Mathis and Claire Hyman. Sensitivity listening by Adwoa Gyimyah-Brempong.
Immaterial is made possible by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Additional support is provided by the Zodiac Fund.
Special thanks to Eva Labson, Scott Browning, Curator Amelia Peck, and Avery Trufelman.

100 years ago, artists and writers were forging new visions of Blackness—across America and abroad.

Introducing Harlem Is Everywhere, a brand new podcast from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hear how music, fashion, literature, and art helped shape a modern Black identity.

Presented alongside the exhibition The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism, the podcast is hosted by writer and critic Jessica Lynne. This five-part series features a dynamic cast of speakers who reflect on the legacy and cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance.

Shorty Award Winner | Best Art & Culture Podcast, 2025
Gold Anthem Award Winner | Education, Art & Culture, 2024

100 years ago, artists and writers were forging new visions of Blackness&mdash;across America and abroad.
Introducing&nbsp;Harlem Is Everywhere, a brand new podcast from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hear how music, fashion, literature, and art helped shape a modern Black identity.
Presented alongside the exhibition&nbsp;<a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/the-harlem-renaissance-and-transatlantic-modernism">The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism</a>, the podcast is hosted by writer and critic Jessica Lynne. This five-part series features a dynamic cast of speakers who reflect on the legacy and cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance.
<a href="https://shortyawards.com/17th/harlem-is-everywhere">Shorty Award Winner</a> | Best Art &amp; Culture Podcast, 2025 Gold <a href="https://www.anthemawards.com/winners/list/entry/#!education-art-culture/podcast-or-audio/harlem-is-everywhere/1980/-1/540680" data-sentry-element="Link" data-sentry-component="ExternalLink" data-sentry-source-file="index.jsx">Anthem Award</a> Winner | Education, Art &amp; Culture, 2024