BIOGRAPHY
Yvonne Wells was born in 1939 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She is known for her intricate narrative “story quilts” rendered in a personal style that uniquely melds geometric abstraction with bold figuration. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska; Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama; Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina; and Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, among others. Wells has also exhibited her art internationally in Vence, France, Pietrasanta, Italy, and Tokyo, Japan. Her work is included in the permanent collections of Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL; Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI; International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE; Kentuck Art Center, Northport, AL; Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, Montgomery, AL; Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington D.C.; Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL; and Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN. Wells is the recipient of the 2024 Joan Mitchell Fellowship, the 2019 Governor’s Arts Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, and the 1998 Alabama Arts and Visual Craftsmen Award. Wells' work is the subject of the comprehensive monograph "The Story Quilts of Yvonne Wells" published by The University of Alabama Press.
EDUCATION
1964
BA, Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, AL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
Beyond Patchwork: The Abstractions of Yvonne Wells, Fort Gansevoort, New York, NY
Picture This: The Story Quilts of Yvonne Wells, Paul R. Jones Museum, Tuscaloosa, AL
2023-2024
Spotlight Series, American South Consortium Exhibition: Yvonne Wells, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL; Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC; Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT (traveling exhibition)
2023
Yvonne Wells: Play The Hand That’s Dealt You, Fort Gansevoort, New York, NY
2022
Yvonne Wells, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
2021
Yvonne Wells: The Stories We Tell, In collaboration with Jessica Lynne, Fort Gansevoort (online exhibition)
2013
Piecing Together History: Civil Rights Quilts by Yvonne Wells, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
2012
Telling Stories: Quilted Art by Yvonne Wells, Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Decatur, AL
2011-2012
Yvonne Wells: Quilted Messages, International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
Patterns in Abstraction: Black Quilts from the High’s Collection, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
Spin A Yarn: Guild Hall, Hampton, NY
One Stitch at a Time: Southern Vernacular Quilts, LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA.
Voices Carry: Art by Alabama Women, Birmingham Public Library, Birmingham, AL.
WRONGED, Galerie Marguo, Paris, FR
2023-2024
Quilting a Future: Contemporary Quilts and American Tradition, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
2023
Strike Fast, Dance Lightly: Artists on Boxing, FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY
Feeling of light, Almine Rech, Brussels, Belgium
2021
Charlie Lucas and Yvonne Wells: What I Knew How to Do,  EBSCO Fine Art Gallery, The Shelby County Arts Council, Columbiana, AL and Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL (traveling exhibition)
Good Trouble: Civil Rights Past & Present, Kentuck Art Center, Northport, AL
2020
Pieces and Patterns: Quilts of West Alabama, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
2018
The Original Makers: Folk Art from the Cargo Collection, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL
2017-18
From Heart To Hand: African-American Quilts from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Albany Museum of Art, Albany, GA
2015-16
African-American Quilts from the Cargo Collection, International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
2014
Creator/Created, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
From Heart to Hand: African-American Quilts from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL; Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ (traveling exhibition)
2011
Black History Month at GMA, Gadsden Museum of Art, Gadsden, AL
2008
Stitching History: The Story Quilts of Yvonne Wells, Cloisters of Saint Augustine, Pietrasanta, Italy
Quilts and Human Rights, Michigan State University Museum, MI
2000
Alabama Art 2000, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL and N.A.L.L. Art Association, Vence, France and Museum of Tourettes sur Loup, Tourettes sur Loup France (traveling exhibition)
1992
Narrations: The Quilts of Yvonne Wells and Carolyn Mazloomi, Louisville Visual Art Association, Louisville, KY
1991
Quilts: The Patterns of History, Castle Gallery at New Rochelle College, New Rochelle, NY
1989
Stitching Memories: African American Story Quilts, Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA
1987
The Art of Black America, Terada Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.
AWARDS & GRANTS
The Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship, 2024
Creative Director of Tuscaloosa 200 Bicentennial project & memory quilt, 2019
Governor's Arts Award, 2019
Alabama Arts and Visual Craftsmen Award, 1998
Created an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree, 1993
Kentuck Art Festival Best in Show, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2004
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR
Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL
Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI
Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Kentuck Art Center, Northport, AL
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, Montgomery, AL
Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, NC
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington D.C.
The Bunker, West Palm Beach, FL
Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL
Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
PUBLICATIONS
2024
Morgan, Stacy, and Yvonne Wells. The Story Quilts of Yvonne Wells. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2024.
Lamar, Jay. Old enough: Southern women artists and writers on creativity and aging. Athens, GA: NewSouth Books, 2024.
2019
Knight, Elliot A., ed. Alabama Creates: 200 Years of Art and Artists. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2019.
Morgan, Stacy. “Yvonne Wells: Stitching Stories." Alabama Arts. vol. XXVIII, no. 1, 2019.
2018
The Original Makers: Folk Art from the Cargo Collection. Birmingham: Birmingham Museum of Art, 2018.
2013
Crown, Carol and Cheryl Rivers. Folk Art, The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, v. 23. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.
2011
Morgan, Stacy. “Anything I Can Stick a Needle In’: An Interview with Yvonne Wells.” Journal of Comparative Poetics. no. 31. Cairo: American University in Cairo. 2011.
2000
Hollis, Nall, ed. Alabama Arts 2000. Montgomery: Black Belt Press, 2000.
Brown, Elizabeth Via. “International Exposure for Alabama’s Visual Artists.” Alabama Arts, vol. XVI, no. 1. Montgomery: Alabama State Council on the Arts, 2000.
1994
Kemp, Kathy. Revelations: Alabama’s Visionary Folk Artists. Birmingham: Crane Hill Publishers, 1994.
1989
Grudin, Eva Ungar. Stitching Memories: African-American Story Quilts. Williamstown: Williams College Museum of Art, 1989.
PRESS
2024
Limnander, Armand. "The Time Is Now: 14 Artists Envision Political Posters For the 2024 Election." M Magazine. October 15.
Cassady, Daniel. “13 Highlights from ‘Artists for Kamala’ Benefit Sale, Including Works by Jeff Koons, George Condo, and More” ARTnews. October 4.
White, Katie. “Yvonne Wells Started Quilting at 40. Now, at 85, the Art World Is Finally Taking Notice.” Artnet. October 3.
Saltz, Jerry. "Yvonne Well’s Patchwork Histories." New York Magazine. September 20.
Wally, Maxine. “At 85, Artist Yvonne Wells Is Having a Milestone Moment.” W Magazine. September 19.
Martin-Gachot, Ella. “Yvonne Wells Doesn't Care If You Call Her Art 'Folk or Fine.' She Just Wants to Keep Creating.” Culture, September 13.
Saltz, Jerry. “Fall Preview 2024: 10 Art Shows We Can’t Wait to See This Fall.” New York Magazine. August 27.
“Joan Mitchell Foundation Announces 2024 Fellowships.” Artforum. August 14.
"Beyond Patchwork: The Abstractions of Yvonne Wells." Art Plugged. August 1.
Kinselle, Eileen “A Sharp New Show Highlights The Many Ways Artists Have Woven Meaning Into Textiles.” Artnet News. May 23.
Richardson, Maggie Heyn. “Quilts are Trendy. Experience Their Beauty and Significance at the LSU Museum of Art’s New Exhibition, ‘One Stitch at a Time’.” 225 Magazine. April 12.
2023
Zeigler, Jim. ”Mobile Museum of Art exhibit, talk to memorialize Negro Baseball League.”1819 News. November 29.
Columbia Museum of Art, “Columbia Museum of Art participates in the Art Bridges Cohort Program.” Columbia Star. July 27.
Joo, Ye-rin. “We are all friends! Catch the happiness.” Arts in Culture. July.
Stern, Melissa. “Yvonne Wells at Fort Gansevoort Gallery.” Amsterdam News. June 29.
Jacobs, Poppy. “Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts recognizes Alabama quiltmaker in spotlight series.” Alabama Public Radio. April 6.
2022
Marshall, Brittany. “Tuscaloosa NAACP to host its first-ever Juneteenth weened celebration.” Tuscaloosa Thread. June 13.
2019
Cobb, Mark Hughes. “Tuscaloosa quilter Yvonne Wells earns Governor’s Arts Award.” Tuscaloosa News. June 24.
Frazier, Terri Cowart. “Yvonne Wells’ works with fabric are truly pieces of art.” The Vicksburg Post. February 10.
2014
Schwendener, Martha. “The Practical Art of Quilting.” The New York Times. November 15.
2003
Lacey, Tiffany. “The Quilter: Yvonne Wells.” Tuscaloosa News. December 2.