Faith Ringgold: The Power of Silence

For Substck Mason Currey writes of artist Faith Ringgold and her beautiful quilts:

“The quilts have been justly celebrated over the years—but one thing I didn’t know until watching this 2012 studio visit with Ringgold [link is in the Comments] was that a big influence in their invention was the artist trying to be smart about money.

“Ringgold was a public school teacher in New York for 18 years, at the same time working tirelessly to develop as a painter and find venues to show her work. When she finally left teaching to make art full-time—in 1973, when she was 43 years old—she had to cobble together income from a variety of sources, including lecturing all over the country. And quilts appealed to her as a project, in part, because they were portable! As she says in the studio visit:

“‘I wanted to create paintings that could be as large as I needed them to be, and I needed to be able to roll it up and place it in a trunk and send it all over the country. Then I would go and they would pay me to lecture. Artists need to be able to store their work, and the quilts have made that completely possible for me.’

“Brilliant! And as Ringgold continued to gain renown as an artist, she never stopped thinking about the financial side of her work. In her 1995 memoir ‘We Flew Over the Bridge,’ she writes:

“‘Along with courses in painting and sculpture, an artist should take a course in business. It can prove a very expensive mistake to ignore the many ways in which artists can make money from their art.'”

“Watching Ringgold talk about her work, and reading her memoir, I’m struck by her seemingly relentless pragmatism. She faced more obstacles than most artists—an early marriage to a jazz pianist who turned out to be a heroin addict; trying to paint while raising two young children and working full-time as a teacher (she did it by staying up late at night); hustling to break into the art world at a time when it had essentially zero interest in Black women artists—but she didn’t let those obstacles get her down, or not for long. She seemed to see all problems as opportunities, which is of course what they are too. Going forward, I’d like to absorb some of her wily, no-nonsense spirit.”

“Faith Ringgold was one of a very small group of Black women who helped galvanize the Black and Feminist Art Movements in New York in the 1970s. This body of work, including tankas and soft sculptures, led to Faith Ringgold’s painted story quilts.”

Due to the efforts of the Randolph-Macon College Art History program and the Black Studies program, Faith Ringgold visited the campus in spring 2012. I participated in her quilting workshop which was interesting and a very fun way to get to know her. Unfortunately at the time, I was a freshman and truly did not realize the power of the woman I met, but as I have matured I have come to respect and admire her immensely. She had a general love for meeting people and always wanted to know different perspectives.

Faith Ringgold, Ancestors Part II, 2017, Courtesy: Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, and ACA Galleries, New York © the artist; photograph: Benjamin Westoby

Being a teacher, she worked well with us and treated us in a manner in which we felt comfortable. I had the great pleasure of standing by her and shaking her hand, which was one of the greatest moments of my life. She gave a speech in which she talked about her life and achievements, while also explaining some of her more well-known artwork. Being an undergraduate Art History student, by this point I was on the edge of my seat ready to explode from excitement from what she was saying. These were the paintings I saw on the projector in class and now the actual artist is sitting here telling me stories of why she made her painting a certain way. I was in absolute heaven. When Faith discussed Picasso’s Studio I was so thrilled because that had been my favorite piece by her for some time. It is remarkable to have an experience in which you meet an artist because they are a part of the masterpiece too. If I could do it over, I would have done my homework and analyzed her artwork to the degree that I do today, but to defend myself I did not have the experience in Art History that I have today.

Faith Ringold – March 29, 2012, at Randolph-Macon College

Dr. Alphine Jefferson (Chair of the Black Studies Program) and Faith Ringgold

Maria Wornum Rippe and Peter Marquart Rippe

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randolphmacon/sets/72157629723383415/show/

Congratulations to Faith Ringgold who has been awarded the Gold Medal for Painting by the American Academy of Arts and Letters!
American Academy of Arts and Letters. – [2023]

Kailee Elizabeth Cross is a student at Randolph-Macon College (The Black Studies Program)

For Substck Mason Currey writes of artist Faith Ringgold and her beautiful quilts:

“Faith Ringgold was one of a very small group of Black women who helped galvanize the Black and Feminist Art Movements in New York in the 1970s. This body of work, including tankas and soft sculptures, led to Faith Ringgold’s painted story quilts.”

Faith Ringold – March 29, 2012, at Randolph-Macon College

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