Faith Ringgold

Hello, my name is Faith Ringgold, and I am an artist who learned to tell stories with paint and fabric. I was born in Harlem, New York, on October 8th, 1930. Growing up during the Harlem Renaissance was like living inside a wonderful story. All around me, Black artists, writers, and musicians were creating amazing things, and that energy filled my world. As a child, I had asthma, which meant I had to spend a lot of time inside. But I wasn't bored. Instead, I filled my days with drawing and creating art. My mother, who was a fashion designer, was my first teacher. She taught me how to sew with fabric and always encouraged my imagination. She gave me the tools and the confidence to start making my own art right from my bedside.

When I grew up, I knew I wanted to be an artist, but I also wanted to help others learn, so I went to the City College of New York to become an art teacher. I earned my first degree in 1955 and then went back to get my master's degree in 1959. During the 1960s, a very important time called the Civil Rights Movement was happening. People were bravely standing up and demanding equal rights. I felt so inspired that I knew my art needed to have a message, too. Between 1963 and 1967, I created a series of paintings called the 'American People Series.' These paintings showed what life was really like for Black people in America. I also became an activist. I joined protests at museums that didn't show enough art created by women or people of color, because I believed everyone's story deserved to be seen.

I wanted to find a new way to tell my stories, one that felt soft and strong at the same time. I remembered sewing with my mother and decided to combine painting with quilting. This was how my story quilts were born. In the early 1980s, I began creating large quilts that had paintings in the center and words written all around the edges, telling a full story. One of my first story quilts, which I made in 1983, was called 'Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima?'. It retold a famous story from a new perspective. My most famous story quilt is called 'Tar Beach.' It tells the story of a young girl named Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who dreams she can fly high above her family's rooftop in Harlem. She soars over the city, claiming everything she sees as her own, feeling free and powerful.

My 'Tar Beach' quilt held a special story, and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible, especially children. In 1991, I had the wonderful opportunity to turn that story quilt into a children's book. I was so excited when the book won many awards, including a special Caldecott Honor for its illustrations. Publishing the book meant that children all over the world could lie in their beds and imagine flying with Cassie. After 'Tar Beach,' I went on to write and illustrate many more books. With every story, I hoped to inspire children to look at the world around them and to understand that their own lives and their own dreams were important stories worth telling.

I lived to be 93 years old, and I was so happy to see my art hanging in museums all over the world. People remember me for my story quilts and books that gave a voice to Black women and shared our history in a new way. I hope my art continues to inspire everyone, young and old, to believe in their own creativity and to find the courage to tell their own important story.