January 1, 2001
Quilt artist-author to speak at UCSC
By Alyssa Clagg
Widely known for her unique painted story quilts as well as children's books, artist
Faith Ringgold is coming to the UCSC January 31 to talk about her more than 30 years
of creating art.
A painter, mixed-media sculptor, performance artist, writer, and professor of art
at the UC San Diego, Ringgold has received more than 75 awards, including 11 honorary
doctoral degrees, two National Endowment for the Arts Awards, fellowships, citations,
and honors.
Recognized for her quilts, in which she highlights African American art history,
Ringgold is also an award-winning author. Her first published children's book, Tar
Beach, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award
for illustration, among other awards. Based on Ringgold's story quilt of the same
name, the book was one reason UCSC art history lecturer Janet Hess wanted to bring
Ringgold to UCSC.
"I used to read it to my son," Hess said. ``It's just so moving and powerful."
Tar Beach is the story of an African American girl whose dream is to fly anywhere
in the world to escape difficult circumstances in Harlem. At the end of the story,
the girl flies far from her situation.
"It's so poignant at the end and even though it's a children's book, it was
created from an adult artwork," Hess said. "I think that's the reason she's
so popular--she's relentlessly affirming."
Ringgold has written and illustrated a total of ten children's books, including the
story of a civil rights pioneer in the book If This Bus Could Talk: The Story
of Ms. Rosa Parks , which won the NAACP's Image Award 2000. Ringgold has also
authored a book for adults, We Flew Over the Bridge: The Memoirs of Faith Ringgold.
Using a combination of painting, quilted fabric, and storytelling, Ringgold's
quilts have been exhibited in major museums in the United States, Europe, South America,
Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She is also in the permanent collections of such
notable museums as the Guggenheim and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Ringgold has made more than 95 quilts and hundreds of other kinds of artwork. Each
quilt is unique, complete with its own characters and story line. Tar Beach
took Ringgold only a month to make, although some quilts take more time.
"I think about the characters and the story I want to tell, and then I begin
to write the chapters in segments," Ringgold says on her web site. "And
then, just like the materials of a quilt, I piece the words together until they make
a story."
The lecture is in Classroom Unit 2 at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Sponsors include the Art History Department, the Women's Studies Department, the
Women's Center, the Community Studies Department, Educational Opportunity Programs,
the Malcolm X Fund at Oakes College, the History Department, Porter and Kresge Colleges,
and the Women of Color series.
Ringgold's lecture will coincide with Hess's course in African American art history,
but all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend.
