Women of Art History: Faith

Faith Ringgold. 1930-. America.
Artist and Activist.

How many artists can you name? Chances are, you'll have named many more men than women. From the moment we are children, most of the artists and artworks we are exposed to are created by or about men. It's time to rebalance the scales and open up the artistic 'canon', introducing more women and ethnic minorities into the widely known narrative of art history. Here, I'll be trying to do just that in the style of a children's story, introducing you to one more woman from art and art history who, until now, you might not have known.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl raised in an area full of creativity and music. Faith Ringgold grew up in Harlem, New York in the 1930s, when it was a vibrant and exciting arts scene. Faith struggled with chronic asthma when she was little, so turned to art. Crayons were her favourite. Apart from all the young artists and musicians living around her, however, Faith didn't have many famous artists to look up to who were like her. Faith was African-American, and there were hardly any female artists in her school books, and even fewer black artists. She decided she'd have to forge her own path.

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When she was younger, Faith tried to show her artwork to gallery dealers but they would look at her legs and not her art. They only saw her as a black woman, and not as an artist. She knew she’d have to keep trying.

Faith tried to study art at college, but the college wouldn't let her because she was a woman. She had to study art education instead but the whole time she was learning and teaching she was always inspired to create art. She wanted to use the issues around her in her artworks, the issues of racism and sexism that she encountered every day. Finally, in 1973, she left teaching to pursue what she really loved.

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In the 1970s, black and white women were divided over differences in equality. Back then, feminism was seen as a white woman's cause, only helping white, middle class women to achieve a better life. Black women felt they had to fight for their own causes because their problems were so different. Faith was one of the first to think that feminism should be for both white and black women. Some black people saw her as a traitor, but Faith became very vocal about the need for equality in the art world. Racial equality and female equality.

Although Faith was a really rounded artist who could paint and sculpt, she became most famous for her quilts. Quilts aren't just something to throw on top of your duvet, but are a really interesting art-form! They are important because quilts deal with issues of race and gender. Historically, women weren't always allowed to learn how to paint and were taught to sew instead, so quilt-making was seen as a 'woman's art, and not as important as men's painting. Quilts were also hugely important for African-American slaves in the 1800s. They made quilts with pictures on to show stories. Faith took this historical idea and made it new and political.

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Whose Afraid of Aunt Jemima? Faith Ringgold, 1983.

Faith’s first quilt told a story about Aunt Jemima, who was a made-up Black woman used in advertising for a pancake mix. In adverts for the pancakes, people thought Jemima was fat, ugly and silly, and completely obedient to her white masters. In Faith’s story, she wanted to ‘rewrite her life.’ She made a new Aunt Jemima, one who was a smart businesswoman and had a family of her own. In the quilt, Jemima is surrounded by other black women, all dressed in rich clothes, and not the apron shown in the pancake advert.

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Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold, 1988.

Faith's best known story-quilt was called Tar Beach. It showed a black family sitting on a rooftop. The little girl, Cassie, looked up at the stars and believed she could fly. Cassie thought "I am free to go wherever I want to for the rest of my life." Faith wanted to give young black girls in America something she never really had, a role model to look up to, to tell them they really could do whatever they wanted.

Faith was also a founder of Where We At which created exhibitions for black, female artists who weren't getting the recognition they deserved elsewhere. Faith said she wanted to give black women a 'taste of the American dream,' the feeling that they could and would achieve success, opportunity and equality.

Nowadays, some of the things Faith was fighting for seem normal. Most people realise feminism is for everyone. But Faith's work is still important, showing us that art can be powerful and change people's minds.

Faith's moved on quite a bit from crayons, now, and her artworks are on display all over the world. Faith is living happily ever after in New Jersey.