Black History Spotlight | Faith Ringgold – Artist

One of my favorite books to read to Nathaniel when he was younger was Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. The colorful illustrations as Cassie flies over her city of Harlem in the late 1930s really captivated ME. Every now and then, I would catch Nathaniel reading the book to the ladybug and the Twizzlers, when they were younger, and the memory always makes me smile.

You can almost automatically tell a book illustrated by Ringgold, which is often based on the quilts of her grandmother. As someone who has now completed a whole six quilts in her life, I can tell you that the books are full of stories and great memories because the quilts I made are certainly full of them. From the careful cutting of the pieces to the creation of the quilt top. And the final process of quilting the pieces together and binding. It’s all a very big ritual and one full of love and creativity.

As a fiber artist AND author, you can’t help think of the influence she has on Bisa Butler when you see how Ringgold tackles race and gender issues, and BOTH were recently honored by the American Folk Art Museum for their contributions to the world over.

Have you read any of Ms. Ringgold’s books? I think you should! Here is a complete list of those she’s penned and illustrated with others.

Tar Beach,
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
We Flew Over The Bridge: Memoirs of Faith Ringgold
Talking To Faith Ringgold, by Faith Ringgold, Linda Freeman and Nancy Roucher
7 Passages To A Flight, an artist’s book
Bonjour Lonnie
My Dream of Martin Luther King
The Invisible Princess
If a Bus Could Talk
Counting to Tar Beach
Cassie’s Colorful Day
Cassie’s Word Quilt
O Holy Night: Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem
The Three Witches by Zora Neale Hurston illustrated by Faith Ringgold
Bronzeville Boys and Girls (poetry) by Gwendolyn Brooks illustrated by Faith Ringgold
What Will You Do for Peace? Impact of 9/11 on New York City Youth, InterRelations Collaborative.