*Created by Kay Wagner, Ph.D., Edina
Public Schools, Edina, Minnesota
Drawn images may be used freely, fair
use laws apply to all other images
Title Page
Faith Ringgold was born in
Harlem on October 8, 1930.
Ringgold grew up in Harlem.
Experiencing her first asthma attack
at the age of two, she never went to
kindergarten or most of the first grade
due to her asthma.
Faith and her mother spent much
time together, a closeness that would
continue through her lifetime.
Mother 's Quilt
1983, Acrylic on
canvas, dyed,
painted and pieced
fabric
58 x 43.5", Private
Collection
Faith Ringgold, began her artistic career more
than 35 years ago as a painter.
The
American
People
Series #1:
Between
Friends
1963,Oil on
canvas, 40 x 24"
ACA Galleries,
New York
From the Series:
American People
Today, she is best known for her painted story
quilts -- art that combines painting, quilted
fabric and storytelling.
The Dinner Quilt, 1986, Acrylic on canvas, fabric
border 48.5 x 66”, Private Collection
She has exhibited in major
museums in:
•
•
•
•
•
•
the USA
Europe
South America
Asia
Africa
the Middle East
She is in the permanent collection
of many museums, including:
• theMuseum
•the
•The
Guggenheim
Metropolitan
Studio Museum
of Modern
Museum
Museum
in Artof Art
Harlem
Her first book, Tar Beach won
numerous honors, including:
• Caldecott Honor Book
• the Coretta Scott King Award for
Illustration
Tar Beach
1988, Acrylic on
canvas, tie-dyed,
pieced fabric border
74 x 69”
Solomon R.
Guggenheim
Museum, New York
Faith Ringgold’s Achievements
• wrote and illustrated eleven children's books
• Won more than 75 awards, fellowships,
citations and honors
• the Solomon R. Guggenheim Fellowship for
painting
• two National Endowment for the Arts Awards
• seventeen honorary doctorates
• a professor of art at the University of California
in San Diego,
Church
Picnic
1988
Acrylic on
canvas,
fabric border
74 x 69 "
The High
Museum of
Art, Atlanta
Faith Ringgold’s family
• married to Burdette Ringgold
• has two daughters, Michele and Barbara
Wallace
• three granddaughters, Faith, Theodora and
Martha.
The American
People Series
#2: For
Members Only
1963
Oil on canvas
36 x 40"
Collection of
the Artist
From the
Series:
American
People
The Sunflower
Quilting Bee at
Arles
1991
Acrylic on canvas, tiedyed, pieced fabric
border
74 x 80"
From the Series: The
French Collection
Part I; #4
Private Collection
Look carefully at the quilt.
Can you find Vincent Van Gogh?
Faith Ringgold's art sends a messages about
things that are important to African-American
women.
Her images are enjoyable to many people
because of her use of whimsical, brightcolored images that are presented in a
traditional mediums such as quilts, dolls, and
story-telling.
Le Cafe des Artistes
1994, Acrylic on canvas, tie-dyed, pieced fabric border, 79.5 x 90"
From the Series: The French Collection Part II; #11, Private
Wanted:
Douglas,
Tubman and
Truth
1997
Acrylic on
canvas; painted
and pieced
border
77 x 82.25"
Private
Collection
From the Series:
The American
Collection; #10
Faith Ringgold’s Education
• 1948, graduated from Morris High School in
the Bronx
• City College in New York, registered in the
School of Education majoring in Art and
Minoring in education
• Many instructors tried to discourage her from
being an artist. This made Ringgold only
more determined.
Sonny's
Quilt
1986
Acrylic on
canvas with
pieced fabric
border
84.5 x 60"
Private
Collection
Faith graduated from City College with a
B.S. in Fine Art in 1955 and got a job
teaching in the New York City Public
School system at Junior
High School #136 in Harlem. In 1959 she
then completed her Master's degree in Art
at City College(Ringgold 55).
The Black Light Series: The American Spectrum
1969, Oil on canvas,18 x 72"
Collection: Chase Manhattan Bank, New York
From the Series: Black Light
Faith Ringgold, her mother Willa Posey and
Faith's two daughters Michele and Barbara
took their first trip to Europe in 1961, to tour
the museums of Paris, Nice, Florence, and
Rome. Faith wrote, " somehow I felt that
being in Europe--where Picasso, Matisse,
Monet and other great painters had lived-would lead me to the answer" (Ringgold
131). The answer to her question of whether
she could be an artist or not.
Dancing at
the Louvre
1991, Acrylic on
canvas, tie-dyed,
pieced fabric
border
73.5 x 80”, From
the Series: The
French
Collection Part I;
#1
Private
Collection
In the early 60's Ringgold was trying to get
gallery representation and involvement in
the New York art community. Romare
Bearden included her in a group show
entitled Art of the American Negro curated
by him in 1966. This was her first gallery
appearance (Ringgold 150).
Bessie's
Blues
1997
Acrylic on
canvas; painted
and pieced
border
74.5 x 79.5"
ACA Galleries,
New York
From the Series:
The American
Collection; #5
Ringgold looked for a gallery on the
prestigious East 57th Street area but none
were showing the work of Black women
artists. Jacob Lawrence, represented by
ACA Galleries, was the only black artist to
be shown in this area (Ringgold 143).
Coming to Jones Road #1
1999, Acrylic on canvas with pieced border, 57 x 87"
ACA Galleries, New York, From the Series: Coming to Jones
Road
Faith was invited to join Spectrum Gallery in
1960 a co-op gallery run by Robert
Newman, a poet and critic. There were 20
artists involved in the gallery--only 5 were
women and Ringgold was the only black
artist (Ringgold 155).
Ringgold started her first mature work in
1963, the American People Series. With a
style she termed SuperRealism. Ringgold
describes the style, "the idea was to make
a statement in my art about the Civil
Rights Movement and what was
happening to Black people in America at
the time, and to make it super-real"
(Ringgold 144). American People had
been about complicated interrelations of
black and white people stuggling with fear
and inequality (Ringgold 173
The
American
People
Series #8:
The In
Crowd
1964, Oil on
canvas, 48 x 26"
ACA Galleries,
New York ,From
the Series:
American
People