In her 25 years of professional activity, Ringgold has proven herself adept at navigating the stars.īorn in 1930, Faith Ringgold grew up in Harlem, not far from her current residence. Epitomizing the self-made woman, Ringgold is widely respected not only as an accomplished artist, but also as a spirited activist, who has effectively championed black and feminist causes. If the artist ’s professional life is any indication, Tar Beach ’s message is not merely a flight of fancy. Anything is possible, Tar Beach tells us, with determination, discipline, and a little bit of magic. Assemblages of fantasy and fact, they embody a belief system basic to her personal philosophy. ”Īlthough not strictly autobiographical, Ringgold ’s “story quilts, ” as she calls them, are pieced together from fragments of the artist ’s past. The next thing you know, you ’re flying among the stars. “All you need is somewhere to go that you can ’t get to any other way. The little girl ’s domain dazzles the eye seemingly without limit, it is truly a “world of living color. Oblivious to her supernatural feat, the young girl ’s family and neighbors play cards below, grounded on their tenement rooftop. On her storytelling quilt Tar Beach and in her self-illustrated children ’s book of the same name, fiber artist Faith Ringgold depicts her eight-year-old heroine soaring above the clouds over Harlem, reveling in the joy and freedom of fantasy.

Painter, quiltmaker, sculptor, educator, writer

Faith ringgold tar beach art