fAith Ringgold

1. fAith Ringgold Ms. Annamarie Leach’s Elementary Art Class ~April 2017~

2. Focusing In~Students are able to understand and analyze artwork by Faith Ringgold. Students are also able to write and narrate a story and portray it in A story quilt.

3. An Artist Is Born • On October 8, of 1930 in the city of Harlem, New York Faith Will Jones was born. We know Jones as Faith Ringgold, the artist we will be studying this month. Just like you, Miss. Ringgold took an interest in art in her early years of elementary school. When she was older, she went to study Art Education at City College in New York City. She has two daughters and was married for several years to musician Robert Wallace. Miss. Ringgold lived through violent times in American history. She lived through The Great Depression, World War Two, and The Civil Rights Movement. Although the they were hard times, they gave Miss. Ringgold inspiration which she portrayed through her work. We will be viewing and discussing her various works of art in our PowerPoint today.

4. American People Black Light: For the Women’s House~early 1960’s artwork • Faith Ringgold’s art work, American People Black Light: For the Women’s House was a painting created by Miss. Ringgold during the midst of The Civil Rights Movement. The painting shows both African American and White women being successful. One can say that the painting shows how skin color does not define our successes in life. We can all reach for our goals. Miss. Ringgold uses contrast in her painting. This allows viewers to see all the different shapes, patterns, movement, and rhythm of the piece. • ~Reflection~ • Describe what you see in the painting. Remember to use your elements of art terms and any other art terms we have covered. How does this painting make you feel?

5. The Civil Rights Triangle~1963 • The Civil Rights Triangle 1963 is a painting by Faith Ringgold that shows two African American men dressed in business suits standing at the feet of a White business man. Many believe that the painting is depicting how African Americans weren’t able to have the same access to the jobs White men had. This was another major issue during The Civil Rights Era. Many African Americans were not allowed to acquire the same jobs as Whites. They were told not even try or aspire because they knew in the long run they would never be able to succeed. Many though did not believe in what some people said. They wanted to have equal opportunities. In the painting, Miss. Ringgold uses organic shapes to convey the body outline of the men. She also uses very muted neutral colors to show the differences in skin tone. The painting does not have a lot of dimension, meaning the bodies do not have detailed shading. It looks similar to cartoons. • ~Reflection~ • What do you think the business men represent? Describe some of the colors that Miss. Ringgold used in the painting. How does the painting make you feel?

6. The Sunflower Quilt~1998 • At first glance you might think this is a painting. It is actually a quilt though. Miss. Ringgold would think of a design and sketch it on a piece of paper or in a sketchbook. She would then find all the fabric and sew it together. Notice in the quilt all the vibrant bright colors. The bright colors contrast with the dark brown skin color of the women. It creates dimension and separates the foreground, middle ground, and background. Do you notice a friend in the background of the quilt? It’s Vincent Van Gogh! Our ear-less artist! He is wearing similar clothes to a self-portrait we have looked at, Van Gogh Portrait with Straw Hat 1887. He is also holding sunflowers just like his Vase with Twelve Sunflowers painting 1888. • ~Reflection~ • This artwork is a lot brighter and happier than the two artworks we saw earlier in the presentation. Write down the differences. Why do you think the style of the three artworks are different? Describe how The Sunflower Quilt makes you feel.

7. Story Quilts and Narration • Miss. Ringgold is not only an artist. She is a story teller. She used quilts to narrate stories that happened to her throughout her life. This month we will be creating our own story quilts. We will be using all different materials such as construction paper, magazine clippings, yarn, glitter, paint, buttons, and fabric squares to create our quilts. Before we get to gluing, we have to think of a story. This story is up to you. It can be a story from real life or it can be an imaginary story. Please make sure your story is school appropriate. I would like you to write down your story in paragraph form. You will turn this into me when you turn in your Story Quilt.

8. Works Cited • Cotter, Holland. "An Era’s Injustices Fuel an Artist’s Activist Works." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Mar. 2017. • "Faith Ringgold." Faith Ringgold | Fabric Workshop and Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2017. • Tar Beach. Perf. Faith Ringgold. Tar Beach. National Public Radio, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RKJleFdBU>.

9. Tar BeachWritten and Illustrated by Faith Ringgold • Here is Faith Ringgold reading her book Tar Beach. Notice the illustrations and how Miss. Ringgold brings them to life. How can you make your Story Quilt come to life? Use this as inspiration.