Faith Ringgold was motivated to use story quilts by a combination of personal heritage, practical necessity, and a desire to overcome barriers in the publishing and art worlds.
Her primary motivations included:
Platform for Unpublished Stories: In 1980, Ringgold wrote an autobiography that she was unable to get published. This frustration led her to “publish” her stories directly on cloth, using the quilts as a vehicle to ensure her voice and narrative reached an audience.
Practicality and Portability: Ringgold found that large, traditional oil paintings on stretched canvas were heavy, expensive to ship, and difficult to transport alone. Story quilts could be rolled up and carried single-handedly, allowing her to exhibit her work more easily without needing assistance.
Family Heritage and Tradition: Ringgold came from a long line of textile artists. Her mother, Madame Willi Posey, was a fashion designer and collaborator who taught her to sew. Her grandmother also taught her quilting, a skill passed down from an enslaved ancestor, Susie Shannon, who had made quilts on plantations.
Cultural and Artistic Influence:
* Tibetan Thangkas: During a visit to Amsterdam in 1972, she was inspired by Tibetan thangkas (religious paintings on silk framed with brocade). This format offered a way to present “paintings” that were soft and frameless.
- African Traditions: She sought to connect her work to African and African American traditions of storytelling and craft, moving away from European-dominated fine art conventions.
- * Activism and Feminist Statement: By elevating a medium traditionally dismissed as “women’s work” or “craft” into the realm of fine art, Ringgold challenged gender and racial hierarchies in the art world.
Health Considerations: Ringgold suffered from asthma, and the dust and fumes from traditional sculpture materials like wood, clay, and metal were physically taxing, making fabric a safer alternative for her.
On Tuesday Morning: Freedom Flag
Faith Ringgold
