Artists who use fabric will always have a special place in my heart. Faith Ringgold painted story quilts – art that combines painting, quilted fabric, and storytelling. She passed away this month at the age of 93.
We saw Faith Ringgold speak and share her art at ASU many years ago and I remember the larger-than-life nature of her work. I was awestruck by its power, beauty, and courage. As a woman, she was excluded from a male-dominated art world and as a Black woman, she was excluded from the largely male Black art world. Add quilts into the mix and some people question your artistry. She never stopped fighting for her place at the table.
I especially love these pieces:
- The Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles features Madam Walker, Sojourner Truth, Ida Wells, Fannie Lou Hammer, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Ella Baker – and Vincent Van Gogh standing by.
- The Tar Beach series (She has a children’s book by the same name and read an excerpt on NPR several years ago.)
- Self-portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. I especially love the panel depicting her with her husband Birdie flying above the city, https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2004.24.9.
- Her horrifying and mesmerizing painting, The American People Series #20: Die 1967 captures the the pervasive violence of the 1960s. We are all still caught in the struggle. (Read more on the MoMA site.)
In her children’s book, Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold wrote, “Anyone can fly. All you have to do is have somewhere to go that you can’t get to any other way.”
Thanks for showing us how it’s done.
Read more:
- Faith Ringgold, quilt and visual artist, dies at 93: NPR
- Faith Ringgold: American People – MCA Chicago
- 8 Must-See Documentaries on Black Art | Sotheby’s – Black Art: In the Absence of Light on HBO, Amazon Prime and YouTube Movies
