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November 22, 2007...

• The quilters of Gees Bend tell their story...
• Immigration is changing the face of the South
• Community Calendar
• The history of black choral singing

Drive down to Gees Bend, Alabama - about 30 miles southwest of Selma - and you can't help but find someone named Pettway. The Gee family first settled the remote area in the 1800s, but soon sold it to a North Carolina family called the Pettways to settle a debt. The Pettways brought hundreds of slaves with them and most of the predominately African American residents that live in Gees Bend today have the surname Pettway. One of them is - Tinnie Pettway - one of the famed Gees Bend Quilters. She's on the road, touring Alabama with her quilts and her stories. She shares some with WBHM's Tanya Ott.

Tinnie Pettway interview

Tinnie Pettway's quilts are on display at Chris McNair art gallery in Birmingham till mid-December and will visit the Gadsden Cultural Arts Center next year.

The face of the South is changing. It's becoming more diverse - more "international". Birmingham gallery Space One Eleven explores that trend in its project "Question for the New South". The latest installment is called "Shifting Planes" - an examination of how immigration affects the New South. It features the work of artist David Sandlin, who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but moved to Cullman County when he was 14. The South has been the main focus and "victim" of his creative satire in books, art, and comics. WBHM's Davis Haines talks with Sandlin, and Space One Eleven's co-founders Anne Arrasmith and Peter Prinz.

Space One Eleven's "Shifting Planes"

David Sandlin's work will be displayed at Space One Eleven through January.

To hear the audio portion of the Community Calendar from Tapestry, click here.

Want to know more? Activeculture.info is a one-stop source for finding out what's going on in the Birmingham metro area.

Choral singing is a tradition at historically black colleges and Universities. Musicologist Kip Lornell of George Washington University explores the history of black choral music and what it means to participants.

Choral music at historically black colleges

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott and Michael Krall. Additional reporting this week from Davis Haines and production assistance from Islara Vazquez. Next week on the program - the end of an era. Sixteen years ago music junkie Fred Osuna opened the independent CD store Laser's Edge in Homewood. He's closing shop next month - and talks to Tapestry about the future of the music business. I'm Greg Bass, and we'll see you next week.