Faith Ringgold

Hello! My name is Faith Ringgold, and I am an artist who loved to tell stories with my art. I was born in a magical place called Harlem in New York City on October 8th, 1930. When I was a little girl, I had something called asthma, which made it hard for me to breathe sometimes. Because of that, I had to stay inside a lot more than other kids. But that was okay, because it gave me plenty of time to do what I loved most: draw, paint, and create things. My wonderful mom, Willi Posey, was a fashion designer, so our home was always filled with beautiful, colorful fabrics. She taught me how to sew and how to make amazing things with my own two hands, which was a very special gift.

As I grew up, I knew I wanted to be an artist and a teacher. I went to college to learn all I could, and I earned my degree in 1955. I loved making art, but I wanted my paintings to be more than just pretty pictures to hang on a wall. I wanted them to tell the stories of my life and the lives of Black people in America. I felt these stories were very important and needed to be shared. In the 1960s, I got to work and created a group of paintings I called the 'American People Series'. Each painting was like a page in a book, sharing a different part of the story about what it was like to be a Black person during that time.

After painting for many years, I came up with a special new way to tell my stories. I decided to make story quilts! A story quilt isn't just a regular blanket. It's a painting made on a big piece of fabric, but it's surrounded by a soft, warm quilt. And the best part is that I could write my stories right on the fabric, so people could read them while looking at my art. My mom, Willi, helped me with this new idea. Together, we made my very first story quilt in 1983. A few years later, in 1988, I made my most famous story quilt. It's called 'Tar Beach,' and it tells the story of a girl who could fly over her city rooftop at night, looking down at all the sparkling lights.

That 'Tar Beach' quilt became so special to me that I decided to turn it into a children's book in 1991. I wanted kids everywhere to be able to enjoy the story of the girl who could fly. I lived to be 93 years old, and I filled all of those years with creating art and telling stories. Today, my colorful quilts hang in museums for everyone to see, and my books are read in homes and schools. I hope people remember me for showing the world that everyone's story matters. I hope my art inspires you to find a creative way to tell your own story, too!