Faith Ringgold Story Quilts

Multi-agers and second graders read the book Tar Beach by american author, artist, and activist Faith Ringgold.We discussed how the story depicts a little girl flying over New York City at night, which was a reference to Ringgold’s mother, who, as a slave, imagined flying away to a better place. Faith Ringgold was a civil rights activist, and, in the 1950’s, she found it hard to have her work published, so she got creative. She began telling her stories through her art, and created story quilts.  We emulated her signature style with a border of quilt squares, and created the glowing night sky by creating a tint of a color. Magazines and oil pastel were used for the skyscrapers, and look closely for a piece of brunswick in each picture.