Masterpiece:The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles

Faith Ringgold

(1930- )

Artist Biography

Keywords: color, shape, repetition, quilting

Grade 1st

Activity: Class Sunflower Quilt

Important lesson:

What is a quilt? Quilting is an art form. African-American women are credited with the beginning of quilt-making in America.

Making quilts was part of their duties as slaves and they made them for theplantation owner’s family. Quilts were part of Faith Ringgold’s family tradition.

Meet the Artist:

  • Faith Ringgold was born in Harlem, N.Y. in 1930.
  • She grew up duringthe time of the Great Depression.
  • As a child she had asthma so she didn’t go to school until 2nd grade.Her mother taught her at home and took her to museums. She gave Faith paper & crayons to draw and bits of cloth, needle and thread to make little things. Her mother taught her to sew.
  • While she was at college, Faith had a professor who didn’t like her drawings and told her that he didn’t think that she would be an artist.
  • Faith Ringgold began her artistic career more than 35 years ago as a painter.
  • Today, she is best known for her painted story quilts – art that combines painting, quilted fabric and storytelling.
  • When she started out, there were hardly any galleries that would show the work of black women. She has exhibited all over the world and has permanent collections in many museums in New York City.
  • She has also written and illustratedover a dozen children’s books.
  • She has received more than 75 awards for painting and writing.
  • Faith is married with two children, three grandchildren and is a professor of art at the University of California.

Born in 1930 in Harlem, New York, Faith Ringgold (Faith Willi Jones) entered theworld during the Great Depression. Her mother was a dressmaker who laterbecame a fashion designer in the early 1950s. Her father came from a long lineof preachers, and is described by Ringgold as a fantastic storyteller. She did notstart school until second grade because of her severe asthma. Much of her timewas spent with her mother in the dress shop, surrounded by cloth, crayons,paper, and thread. Growing up surrounded by dressmakers, she learned at anearly age how to sew.

In 1948, Ringgold enrolled in the New York City College to study art. Because shewas a woman, she was not allowed into the Art Department so she decided to be ateacher, and received her degree in 1955. While studying for her Master'sdegree, she taught in the New York public schools. During this time, she becamefascinated with her African- American heritage.

As an artist, Faith Ringgold is involved in issues of social change and revolution. Growing up during the Great Depression and exposed to the Harlem Renaissance,Ringgold emerged as an artist with an agenda of change. In 1963, she produced aseries of paintings called American People, which chronicled the Civil RightsMovement from an African-American woman's standpoint.

It was in the creation of her first quilt (Voice of Harlem), that Faith Ringgoldembraced a new art form. Ringgold's love of quilt making stems from hergrandmother, and her great grandmother who passed this tradition from onegeneration to another. Her great-grandmother was a slave and part of herhousehold duties was to make quilts for her plantation owner. Faith Ringgold'smost famous quilt Tar Beach (1988), was, at one time the most requested piece tobe on loan from the Whitney Museum.

Faith Ringgold's work continues to change. She has made many murals, haswritten five children's books. She won the distinguished Caldecott Homor Medalfor her first book Tar Beach which originated from one of her story quilts. Shealso won the Coretta Scott King Award. Most recently, she has brought thestories of her quilts to a new medium, animation.

Possible Questions:

o What kinds of things do you see in this painting?

o Does this painting tell a story?

o Who is in the painting? African women in Arles displaying their quilt with the famous Van Gogh standing in the background. Where is Arles? (France)

o How would you describe the lines, the shapes, the colors? Is there repetition?

o Do you like it?

o What would you title this artwork?

o Does it make you want to learn how to quilt?

o What is worth remembering about this painting?