Talking Points: Faith Ringgold
How might we use different art forms to share our stories?
Faith Ringgold used art to tell stories about her life and what was important to her. Through painting, print and her colourful story quilts, she brought together images, words and patterns to explore history, fairness and her experiences as a Black woman living in New York. Ringgold wanted her art to be seen by lots of people and used it to speak up about what she believed in.
Watch the videos below and use the following questions to explore Faith Ringgold’s work.
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Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold is an artist and activist who grew up during the Harlem Renaissance. Ringgold communicates personal narratives, history and politics through her painted quilts.
In this video Faith Ringgold discusses how she fought to get women and African-American artists into museums.
Watch this video to see how Ringgold combines cloth, paint and thread to make her quilts.
Questions to Ask Children
Faith emphasises the importance of focussing upon personal experience through art; How does she do this and why do you think this is important?
Are there things you care about that you’d like to make art about to help you share your thoughts/views? What’s important to you?
“When they’re looking at my work, they’re looking at a painting and they’re able to accept it better because it is also a quilt.” – Faith Ringgold
Why do you think people are more accepting of a quilt than a painting? What do you associate with quilts?
This Talking Points Is Used In...
using sketchbooks to make visual notes
Show me what you see
