On view October 2025 - September 2027, River Gallery, Gee’s Bend, AL
Between History and Memory: Dinah Miller’s Legacy in Gee’s Bend honors the life, family, and enduring legacy of Dinah Miller (née Jenkins). Dinah was forcibly brought to Alabama from West Africa as a young girl in 1860, likely aboard the last known slave ship to enter US waters, the Clotilda, 52 years after Congress outlawed the importation of enslaved people. Having settled in Gee’s Bend in the 1890s, Dinah is the earliest known named quilter in the area and the progenitor of a vast familial network of Gee’s Bend quilters that flourishes artistically to this day. This exhibition aims to celebrate and contextualize Dinah’s life within a broader historical framework, telling the story of one individual’s arrival in Gee’s Bend and her enduring influence on the community, its cultural traditions, and the history of American art.
With Dinah’s artistic legacy now spanning seven generations, this section features works shown in the exhibition as well as quilts made by some of her descendants.
