Lue Ida McCloud

Lue Ida McCloud was born in 1951 in Gee’s Bend and was taught the traditions of Gee’s Bend quilt-making as a child by her mother Ella Mae Bennett Irby and her grandmother Delia Bennet. In 1969, after graduating high school, she left Gee’s bend to find work in New York City where she later became a division chief secretary at JP Morgan. In 1990, Lue Ida returned to Gee’s Bend after her sisters’s passing to care for her niece. After the passing of another of her sisters, Lue Ida took the responsibility of raising both families’ children. In taking on this role, Lue Ida’s passion for quilt making was reignited.

“When I’m quilting, it gives me a peace of mind. When I first started making quilts, I had never heard of people coming around buying quilts; it was just something I wanted to do for the family.” 

Lue Ida McCloud was featured in the following gallery exhibitions:

My Way: The Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers and Contemporary Abstraction, Parts and Labor, Beacon, NY, 2020.

My Way: Gee's Bend Today  Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, 2025.

 

Click Here for available works by Lue Ida McCloud