They also gave rise to a far less strident, almost poetic voice seasoned with humanity and humor. They helped push her from the first ranks of African-American artists into the forefront of the art world as a whole. The focus of her energy since the early 1980s, these innovative works have since become her most widely known efforts. They also cross two traditional folk art forms, the quilt and the family legend, with those previous artistic interests.

Ringgold's famous story quilts incorporate influences from her paintings, her soft sculptures and her experiences with performance art. As a Black woman, Ringgold was living proof that such things can be achieved if you just put your mind to it.'The work was not just about the children in Atlanta,' the artist later explained. It’s about dreaming about doing something that might seem impossible. These are all themes that are important for kids to see in work geared towards them. That’s not to say that any other type of person can’t have a positive experience with this painting. Tar Beach is packaged in a way that speaks specifically to the type of people it was geared towards, forgoing anyone else. It proved to be so popular, that the story from the quilts was adapted into an actual children’s book, furthering the accessibility of a story that made so many children feel seen. It’s the type of art with a lot of intent behind it it knows what it is and the story it wants to tell, and doesn't stray from that at all.Īs mentioned before, Tar Beach was the first in a series of paintings featuring Cassie Louise Lightfoot, a young girl who dreams about flying around her neighborhood. That can be attributed to its authenticity. But nonetheless, it’s regarded as one of, if not the best work of art that she created. It wasn’t even her first time incorporating quilting into her art. And even if I didn’t inherently understand what it was about, it would still resonate with me in some shape or form because of the way it looked alone.īy the time Faith Ringgold made Tar Beach, she’d been a pretty successful working artist for a while. I can imagine being a kid and walking up to this and thinking it looked a lot like something I’d have in my room. Making art in this way only helps with Ringgold’s desire to have her art seem accessible to a younger audience. Story quilts ultimately became one of Ringgold’s signature styles. It combines paint on canvas with quilted fabric material. Tar Beach is what is known as a story quilt.

Ringgold took a lot of inspiration from her own life to create this character and story, in hopes that it would resonate stronger with the audience. So, if the painting gives you a sense of familiarity and warmth, that’s by design. Tar Beach is the first quilted painting in this series which follows Cassie Louise Lightfoot, a young girl growing up in Harlem. Faith Ringgold’s Tar Beach incorporates traditional painting technique with her signature quilting.

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