Faith Ringgold (b. 1930) is an artist and social activist who is known for her story quilts. She taught in New York public schools while she completed her master’s degree in 1959 and began teaching college classes in 1970. During this time she also supported the civil rights movement and demonstrated against the exclusion of black and female artists by New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art, until Alma Thomas became the first black woman to show there.  In 1973, Ringgold retired from teaching to focus on her art. Ringgold took the traditional craft of quiltmaking and used it to tell the stories of her life and those of the African American community.

She is best known for her work “Tar Beach,” which depicts a young African American girl, Cassie Louise Lightfoot, growing up with her family in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. In 1991 Ringgold published “Tar Beach” as a children’s book and both the book and Ringgold became a household name. 

In this project, you will learn about using color and repeating motifs (a decorative design or pattern) to convey a sense of familial warmth. Ringgold used flower and building motifs to create a sense of contrast in “Tar Beach.” You will use collage to explore your own city and how you fit into it. Ringgold once said, “You can’t sit around waiting for somebody else to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it.” Tell us who you are with this creative open-ended project. 

Materials:

– Floral paper or magazine pages

– Scissors

– Glue

– White heavy paper

– Colored construction paper

– Colored pencils, crayons, markers and/or paint

Step 1: Cut Quilt Pieces

Cut out square and rectangle pieces from floral magazine pages, then arrange around the edge of your paper to create a quilt-like pattern. If you don’t have magazine pages, you can draw your own floral designs or use origami paper. In this example, we have used a combination of the two. 

Step 2: Glue Border

When you are satisfied with your quilt pattern glue your pieces in place. It is helpful to glue the pieces past the edge of the page, then flip your paper over and trim off any access. 

Step 3: Create the Night Sky

Before adding your building you will want to create the night sky. You can do this by adding a piece of dark blue construction paper to your work or coloring the sky with paint. Don’t add the stars and moon just yet. 

Step 4: Create Buildings

Think about what building you see in your neighborhood. What kind of windows and doors do they have? What color are they painted? Are the windows lit up or dark? Cut out large square and rectangle pieces from construction paper to create your buildings. Using markers, colored pencils, crayons, pieces of paper or paint create the building details.

Step 5: Draw a Landmark

Draw a large landmark of your choosing as the backdrop of your city. Don’t forget to draw the night sky too.

Step 6: Draw Yourself Flying

Look in the mirror and pose as if you were a superhero taking off to fly. What do you look like with the wind in your hair? On a white piece of paper, draw a small version of yourself flying with any medium you’d like. It helps to draw a rough stick figure standing up, then adding details such as hair, clothes, etc. Then carefully cut out your figure.

Step 7: Glue Your Figure

Finally, glue the small figure to your collage flying over the city. You have created a beautiful quilt that tells your own personal story.

Learn more about artist and activist Faith Ringgold here.

Created by Andrea Minobe