Faith Ringgold

American, 1930 - 2024

Artist Faith Ringgold challenged the status quo and was unapologetically vocal about racism and sexism. In the 1950s, Ringgold encountered gender-based restrictions at City University of New York. Women were barred from the fine arts department, so Ringgold majored in education instead. In the 1960s, she experienced the civil rights and Black Power movements firsthand. As a result, she defied the conventional concerns of collectors and art critics. The discrimination Ringgold encountered became a driving force in shaping her art.

Between 1963 and 1967, Ringgold completed her well-known American People series, portraying subjects of diverse races, genders, and economic backgrounds. But Ringgold’s best-recognized works may be her story quilts, beginning with Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima? (1983). These quilts offer insightful commentary on societal issues.

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This painting features lines and shapes creating an abstract representation of the American flag. Human figures overlap with the flag's design, with three standing people partially obscured by the striped pattern. The three people are linking arms. The person on the left holds a thin knife in one hand and has their other hand over their heart. This person has brown skin and black hair, while the other two people have peach skin and light-colored hair, although the colors of the flag overlap with and obscure the colors of the people. The red paint from the horizontal lines of the flag is dripping, giving the appearance of splattered paint or blood.
Faith Ringgold, The American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding, 1967, oil on canvas, Gift of Glenstone Foundation and Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2021.28.1

The American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding

Faith Ringgold · 1967 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2021.28.1
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.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.4

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.4
The image displays a series of curved and elongated lines depicting abstract forms in a field filled with circular patches. The shapes resemble workers bending over and wearing large hats. The field is filled with white, fluffy shapes resembling a cotton field. The background is a solid blue expanse contrasting with the white and green field. In the foreground, a small abstractly shaped figure in blue, reminiscent of a child, sits among the workers.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.7

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.7
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.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.2

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.2
This is a painting of a group of people participating in a protest or demonstration. The image depicts several figures standing close together, with some holding signs that read "ONE VOTE" and "REGISTER TO VOTE." The scene uses stark contrasts with bold outlines and flat areas of color, primarily in black, white, and shades of blue, yellow, and red. The expressions on the faces are serious, and there is a sense of tension depicted through the body language and the presence of uniformed figures among the group. The composition is tightly framed, emphasizing the crowded setting.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.5

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.5
The image shows six people walking along a street with a green bus in the background. The individuals are an elderly woman, a woman in a black dress and hat, a woman in a blue outfit, a woman in a red and pink striped dress, a man in a blue jacket, and another woman. The bus has four passengers visible through its windows..untracked.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.8

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.8
This is a painting of an amusement park named "Fun Town." It features a giant roller coaster in the background. In the foreground, there is a gate with signs stating "Fun Town is closed to colored children" and "WHITES ONLY." On one side of the gate, two children are looking in, while brightly colored figures enjoy the park on the other side. American flags are above the gate. The scene creates a contrast between exclusivity and enjoyment, accentuated by a stylized, almost cartoon-like style. The painting is inspired by the work of artist Faith Ringgold, known for her use of bold colors and strong outlines to convey messages of social justice.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.3

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.3
The artwork depicts a man behind bars, visible from the chest up. He is positioned facing the viewer, with a direct gaze. His facial features are clearly defined, including a mustache, and his hair is short. He wears a blue shirt and holds a pen in one hand and a piece of paper with writing in the other. The background is dark, with vertical bars prominently dividing the image.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Frontispiece from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.1

Frontispiece from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.1
This is a painting of a group of people seated in an auditorium with a person standing at a lectern. The painting depicts an audience seated in rows of brown benches, attentively facing a speaker or presenter positioned to the left. The figures are represented with simplified, stylized features, using bold outlines and a vibrant palette that blends contrasting colors like pinks, blues, greens, and blacks. Above the audience is a multi-paneled window or decorative partition composed of curved geometric shapes interspersed with silhouettes. The speaker appears to be addressing the group, with papers or a book on the lectern in front of them. In the lower foreground, there is a vase filled with abstractly rendered flowers. The style is graphic and reminiscent of Pop Art, with its use of flat colors and distinctive outline.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.6

Plate from Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · screenprint from an illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.6
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.
Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton, Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2007, illustrated book with eight screenprints, Gift of Ruth Fine in honor of Michele Wallace, 2021.80.27.1-8

Letter from Birmingham City Jail

Faith Ringgold, Martin Luther King Jr., Limited Editions Club, Curlee Raven Holton · 2007 · illustrated book with eight screenprints ·  Accession ID  2021.80.27.1-8

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We look beyond a cluster of flags hanging from the side of one tall building onto a wide street at a row of buildings across from us in this vertical painting. The scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes, so some details are difficult to make out. We seem to lean out a window to look along the street, so the building to our right only skims the edge of the composition and continues off the top. The three flags closest to us fly from nearly horizontal flagstaffs along the bottom edge of the painting. All the flags are in shades of scarlet red, white, and royal blue. The flag closest to us is red with the red, white, and blue Union Jack in the upper corner. Beyond it is an American flag with 49 stars, and then the French flag with the vertical bands of blue, white, and red. Those three flags are repeated about a dozen times along the building that stretches away from us, along the right edge of the painting. More of those flags are hung from the cream-white and tan buildings across the street, to our left. Some of those buildings reach off the top edge of the canvas and others come close. The shadows along moldings and the windows are painted with pale and lapis blue. Through narrow gaps left between the fluttering flags, vertical strokes of navy blue and violet purple suggest crowds of people in the street below. The sky between the buildings is ice blue. The artist signed and dated the painting in the center left, “Childe Hassam May 17 1917.”

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