Storytellers: Faith Ringgold + Aminah Robinson, Part 2

Detail from "The Sunflower Quilting Bee
at Arles" (1997) 

If you've ever seen one of Faith Ringgold's story quilts, you'd remember. Her vibrant works draw you in before you realize they include text that fills out the narrative you've already started creating in your mind. The written story adds another dimension that's icing on an already wonderful cake. 

Take, for instance, "The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles." Ringgold envisions a group of influential African-American women gathering in Arles to create a sunflower quilt. The text identifies each woman and the reason she was included. The participants include Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. One of the lesser known figures (to me) is Madame C.J. Walker. Madame Walker invented the hair straightening comb and was the first self-made American-born female millionaire. Van Gogh watches the proceedings with interest. The women -- and the sunflowers -- represent freedom and, as the quilt tells us, they have gathered to transform a nation piece by piece. 

Detail from "Who's Bad" (1988)  

I was thrilled (pun intended) to see Ringgold's "Who's Bad" upon entering the gallery. What a surprise to be face to face with Michael Jackson! The quilt brought me right back to the '80s with its energy and movement and made me feel like Jackson was about to moonwalk right into the room. 

What you don't see in this detail are the names of Black heroes Ringgold painted around the margins of the work. (You can faintly see text above the dancer on the left of the painting.) From Martin Luther King and Marcus Garvey to Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela to the women to be commemorated in her "Sunflower Quilting Bee," the names are a history lesson waiting to be discussed. Jackson, of course, is no long revered given what we've learned about his personal life. Still, the quilt captures his cultural influence beautifully. To hear Ringgold talk briefly about the work, click here. 

"Mama Can Sing: You Put the Devil
in Me" (2004)(serigraph from quilt) 

Ringgold grew up with parents whose own creativity informs her work. Her mother was a fashion designer, and her father was a born storyteller. They lived in Harlem and exposed Faith to the jazz scene (think Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington) and everything else the neighborhood offered on the heels of its renaissance. Her Jazz Series is an homage to those great musicians and singers. 

In the 1970s, Ringgold began creating tankas, or Tibetan-inspired canvases framed by fabric. Work without a hard frame appealed to Ringgold both aestheically and practically. She could carry her tankas to show the New York galleries in which she hoped to exhibit and, when the time came, ship them economically to museums and galleries around the world. The medium also harkened back to the time of slavery when quilt making was the only artistic endeavor slaves were permitted to undertake. The quilts could, of course, be sold at a profit for the master. It's hard not to feel there's some cosmic justice at work. 

"Moma (Harlem Series)" (1978)

Ringgold's early work also included soft sculptures like the eye-catching Moma. The curlers are what really does it for me. And I love that her mother designed the clothing for these sculptures. While it would still be years before Ringgold began creating her story quilts, this work hints of what's to come with its fabric book entitled "Being My Own Woman." The author: Ringgold, of course. 

I'll leave you with Ringgold's fabulous story quilt "Tar Beach 2." The quilt is from the "Woman on a Bridge" series in which females claim ownership of the George Washington and Golden Gate bridges. 

The Tar Beach quilts tell the story of the adventurous Cassie Louise Lightfoot, an eight year old whose parents would bring Cassie and her brother to the roof of their apartment building to play cards, eat and hope for a cool breeze. (It's a tradition with which many New Yorkers are familiar.)  As a child, Ringgold's own family took to the roof on hot summer nights, and she weaves some of that history into the story.  

While Ringgold's quilt has a whimsical feel, there's a deeper meaning. Flying is a way to escape from the realities of life. Cassie lays claim to everything she flies over, from the George Washington Bridge, on which her father worked, to The Goodie Goodie Ice Cream Factory. She happily envisions a life with ice cream for dessert every night once she owns the factory. 

Cassie tells us her father is now working on the Union Building where he walks on steel girders high up in the sky. "But still," she goes on, "He can't join the union because Grandpa wasn't a member. Well, Daddy is going to own that building 'cause I'm gonna fly over it and give it to him. Then it won't matter that he's not in their old Union or whether he's Colored or a half breed Indian like they say." As to her flying, Cassie matter-of-factly says, "Anyone can fly. All you have to do is try." 

Detail from "Tar Beach 2"

To hear Ringgold talk about the process of making the quilt, click here. (I just learned that she painted on the fabric swatches that border the paintings.) And to hear Ringgold read her children's book entitled "Tar Beach," click here. It's a beautiful and liberating story, and the pictures are fantastic. 

In case you haven't gathered, I am totally in love with Ringgold and her work. Each piece has so much intention and history and hope for a better world. My hope is that you'll delve into Ringgold's work yourself. YouTube has lots of videos of the artist talking about her creations. I'm confident that you'll fall in love with her too.  

Storytellers: Faith Ringgold + Aminah Robinson runs at Ringling College through Feb. 12. If you are in the area, you can email galleries@ringling.edu or call 941-359-7563 for an appointment. Or click here to see more of the exhibit.