We Are Not There Yet

Gwen Maxwell-Williams, We Are Not There Yet, 2012, cotton fabric suede, organza, and cotton batting, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.20
Copied Gwen Maxwell-Williams, We Are Not There Yet, 2012, cotton fabric suede, organza, and cotton batting, 47 5⁄8 × 41 1⁄2 in. (121.0 × 105.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2023.40.20

Artwork Details

Title
We Are Not There Yet
Artist
Date
2012
Location
Dimensions
47 5⁄8 × 41 1⁄2 in. (121.0 × 105.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Fleur S. Bresler
Mediums
Mediums Description
cotton fabric suede, organza, and cotton batting
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Abstract
  • Allegory — civic
Object Number
2023.40.20
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2023.40.20

Artwork Description

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