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Open 10:00–5:00

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

2007

Faith Ringgold, author Martin Luther King Jr., printer Curlee Raven Holten

Associated Names

Faith Ringgold

Artist, American, 1930 - 2024

Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

Limited Editions Club

Publisher

Curlee Raven Holton

Printer, American, born 1951

This is a painting of a scene at a school entrance. The artwork features a group of individuals outside a building with tall doors. Elements include a figure holding a sign with discriminatory language, others with angry expressions, and a law enforcement officer or guard with a baton. Another sign with a similar message is on the ground. The style is graphic with bold lines and flat colors, reminiscent of Faith Ringgold's work.

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Artwork overview

Medium

screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints
Credit Line

Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace
Dimensions

overall (closed): 39.8 × 33.2 × 4.9 cm (15 11/16 × 13 1/16 × 1 15/16 in.)
Accession Number

2021.80.27.4

Frontispiece from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton

2007

This is a photograph of a book cover. The cover is a red fabric with a rectangular black label in the center, bordered by a gold line, where the title "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" is printed in gold lettering. — Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton

2007

This is a painting featuring a scene with a church and hooded figures. The artwork shows four figures in white with extended arms, floating in a blue sky. Below them is a depiction of a church with a domed roof, next to four hooded figures in white with blank expressions against a dark background. The painting includes a white cross with the words "16th Street Baptist Church" in the foreground. The style is reminiscent of Faith Ringgold, utilizing bold imagery for social commentary. — Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton

2007

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; to Ruth Fine, Philadelphia; gift to NGA, 2021

Associated Names

Fine, Ruth

Inscriptions

"Faith Ringgold" colophon, graphite.

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