“Piecing Together Freedom”
Faith Ringgold categorizes herself as a painter, speaker, writer, sculptor, and performance artist. She was born in 1930 in New York City and specializes in textile arts using mixed media. She was an innovator in creating quilt as an fine art form. As a child she suffered from asthma problems, resulting in a lot of time out of school. During this time, her mother took it upon herself to culture Faith in the arts, especially with performance. Knowing she wanted to become an artist from a young age, she began by learning and perfecting the styles of different artists from around the world. Once Ringgold began exhibiting her work, she realized that painting on cloth would be easier than wood because of transportation costs. Exhibiting wasn’t easy for her. “Determination is all that matters.” Ringgold knew she wanted to be an artist – no matter what. She had stories and perspectives to share. She actually used her artist statements and even parts of her compositions as gateways for sharing her narratives about her work. As an artist, Faith Ringgold focuses on dualities in her artwork and transforming expectations. As a black female, her point of view at the time she was exhibiting was very relevant and new and previously unspoken. Her sheer perseverance and thoughts on identity made her the unique artist she has proven herself to be.
Talking about Faith Ringgold in the classroom, many themes and ideas could be discussed, especially how identity and narrative can be used cohesively in pieces of art. Another topic that could be discussed is Ringgold’s use of unconventional media. A project that could be utilized might be a class project. You could discuss the importance of creating and telling stories through the integration of text and images. As a class, they could develop a narrative and brainstorm on how to visualize it in quilt form. Every student would create one piece of the whole, one piece of the narrative. Students would learn how to collaborate and solve problems together as well as learn craftspersonship in the construction of the quilt.
All quotes in this passage come from her Art21 episode.
Sarah Kedzior 