Faith Ringgold was an artist, activist, and author who used her work to address issues of racial and gender inequality. Throughout her career, Ringgold created paintings, sculptures, masks, children’s books, and more. She even invented an entirely new type of art: the story quilt.
Ringgold’s story quilts were a way for her to combine different art making traditions and celebrate her African American roots, while sharing her own stories and ideas through art and words. To create story quilts, Ringgold used paint, fabric, and writing, incorporating her stories directly onto her quilt.
Younger makers might enjoy this video of Ringgold reading her Caldecott-Winning picture book, Tar Beach, which is based on one of her most famous story quilts and tells the story of a young girl who dreams of flying over New York City.
Credit: Anthony Barboza / Getty Images
In her story quilts, Faith Ringgold used fabric, paint, and words all together to tell stories that celebrate the lives of African American people. She believed in the importance of making art that reflects your own experience. What do you want to share with the world through your art, based on your own experiences?
Design and make your own story quilt inspired by the work of Faith Ringgold.
What is a story, message, or memory that is important to you?
How will you use both art and words together to share your story?
For more inspiration, check out some of Faith Ringgolds’ story quilts:
Who’s Afraid of Aunt Jemima?, 1983
Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles, 1991
Tar Beach #2, 1990
When you know what story you want to tell, it’s time to get making!
Gather your materials. You can use fabric from old clothing or sheets, or recycled paper with different colors and prints. Try looking through magazines to find colors, patterns, and designs that you like. You’ll also need a pen or marker — if you’re using fabric, look for a fabric marker or permanent marker that can write on that material.
Create your scene. How will you make the pictures for your story? Like Faith Ringgold, you might want to paint or use markers directly on the fabric. Or, you could try making a collage or mosaic from fabric, paper scraps, and glue.
Write your story. Use a marker or pen to write your story on fabric or paper. Decide where to place your words on the quilt. Look at Faith Ringgold’s art for inspiration.
Create your border. Faith Ringgold used pieces of beautifully patterned fabric to create quilt-like borders for her paintings. She added her own designs to the fabrics using paint.