Object Details
Artist
Gwen Maxwell-Williams, born Starkville, MS 1947-died 2020
Exhibition Label
Gwen Maxwell-Williams
born 1947, Starkville, MS
died 2020, Redmond, WA
We Are Not There Yet
2012
cotton fabric suede, organza, and cotton batting
Gwen Maxwell-Williams designed this quilt to affirm the importance of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and to observe that workplace discrimination persists to this day. Maxwell-Thomas asks if we will ever get to a place where discrimination ceases to exist, adding “The pessimistic side of me continues to say, ‘No.’ America, prove me wrong!”
Established as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC enforces civil rights laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee based on their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, and disability.
A pregnant figure, a figure kneeling to pray, a figure in a wheelchair, a figure using a walking cane, and a woman visualize all the people whose labor rights the EEOC is meant to protect.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.20
We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts of Black Women Artists, 2025
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler
Date
2012
Object number
2023.40.20
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Fiber
Quilt
Crafts
Medium
cotton fabric suede, organza, and cotton batting
Dimensions
47 5/8 × 41 1/2 in. (121.0 × 105.4 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Figure group
Abstract
Allegory\civic
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_2023.40.20