Faith Ringgold, the beloved Black American artist who excelled in various art forms, including painting and quilt-making, passed away this week at the age of 93.
Ringgold was well-known for incorporating Black life into quilts and children’s books. Throughout her career, Faith used various types of media to explore topics such as race, gender, and family. She was also a longtime advocate of incorporating the work of Black artists into the collections of major American museums.
Ringgold’s art has been featured in the White House, as well as in museums around the world. Faith saw her art as an opportunity to explore sensitive issues such as relationships between different races and genders. She began creatingpolitical paintings in the 1960s.
Ringgold’s distinctive style was characterized by the integration of craft materials into her paintings, such as fabric or beads.
Faith is best known for her “story quilts,” in which she used a quilt to display panels of her artwork depicting the joys and challenges of black lives. After the success of one of her “story quilts” titled “Tar Beach” in 1988, she created her first children’s book, which was released under the same title three years later.
The children’s book “Tar Beach” was named a Caldecott Honor Book by the American Library Association and one of the year’s best illustrated children’s titles by the New York Times Book Review. It endures today as a childhood staple.
Throughout her career, Ringgold illustrated more than a dozen children’s books, most of which included her own text, even though she never intended to become a children’s author.
Faith was born in Harlem in 1930 and worked in various roles throughout her career. She taught art in New York City from 1955 to 1973, primarily in Harlem and the Bronx. There is no doubt that Faith Ringgold will be remembered as a impactful artist and activist.
Rest in peace!
