Bio, Artist Statement, Honorary Doctorates and Awards


Biography

Faith Ringgold, painter, writer, speaker, mixed media sculptor and performance artist lives and works in Englewood, New Jersey. Ms Ringgoldis professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego where she taught art from 1984 until 2002.

Professor Ringgold is the recipient of more than 75 awards including 23 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degrees. She has received fellowships and grants that include the National Endowment For the Arts Award for sculpture (1978) and for painting(1989); The La Napoule Foundation Award for painting in France (1990); The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for painting (1987); The New York Foundation For the Arts Award for painting (1988); The American Association of University Women for travel to Africa (1976); The Creative Artists Public Service Award for painting (1971).

Ringgold’s art has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the USA, Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. Her art is included in many private and public art collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Chase Manhattan Bank Collection, The Baltimore Museum, Williams College Museum of Art, The High Museum of Fine Art, The Newark Museum, The Phillip Morris Collection, The St. Louis Art Museum and The Spencer Museum. Ms. Ringgold is represented by ACA Gallery in New York City.

Ringgold's recent painting series includes; The American Collection (1997); a series of painted story quilts in which Ringgold undertakes to rewrite African American art history. This series is an extension of Ringgold's French Collection which she began in Paris and the South of France in 1990. Many of these works were included in a traveling exhibition curated by The New Museum of Contemporary Art titled, Faith Ringgold: Dancing at the Louvre and Other Story Quilts (catalog). The theme of freedom and resilience are the common thread that runs through the Coming to Jones Road Series part 1(1999-2000). In this series images of escaped slaves are moving through distant and colorful landscapes to a new found freedom and home.

Ringgold’s public commissions include Flying Home: Harlem Heroes and Heroines, two 25 foot mosaic murals installed on the uptown and downtown platforms of the 125th street Independent Rapid Transit (7th Avenue IRT) Subway station in New York City in 1996; The Crown Heights Children's Story Quilt featuring folklore from the 12 major cultures that settled Crown Heights is installed in the library at PS 90 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn; Eugenio Maria de Hostos: A Man and His Dream, (1994) A mural celebrating the life of Eugenio Maria de Hostos for De Hostos Community College in the Bronx is installed in the atrium of the college.

Ringgold's first published book, the award winning, Tar Beach, "a book for children of all ages", was published by Random House in 1991 and has won more than 30 awards including, a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King award for the best illustrated children's book of 1991. The book, Tar Beach, is based on the story quilt Tar Beach, from Ringgold's The Woman On A Bridge Series of 1988 and is in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. HBO included an animated version of Tar Beach in "Good Night Moon and Other Sleepy Time Lullabies." This program runs periodically on HBO and has been released as a DVD.

Ringgold has written and illustrated a total of 17Ringgold, (an autobiographical interactive art book for children of all ages), The Invisible Princess, an original African American Fairy Tale based on the quilt Born in a Cotton Field,1997 all published by Random House. Random house also released three books for pre-school age children: Counting to Tar Beach and Cassie's Colorful Day with Daddy and Cassie’s Word Quilt. Hyperion Books, a Walt Disney publisher has published Dinner at Aunt Connie's House (based on The Dinner Quilt, a painted story quilt Ringgold created in 1986 and Bonjour Lonnie. If a Bus Could Talk; The Story of Ms. Rosa Parks won the NAACP's Image Award 2000 and is available from Simon and Schuster. O Holy Night and The Three Witches We Flew Over the Bridge: The Memoirs of Faith RinggoldRinggold's first adult book was published by Little, Brown in 1995 and has been re-released by Duke University Press.

Ms Ringgold has a history of juring and curating exhibitions. Ms. Ringgold juried the the Mid Atlantic: Annual Juried Art Show for the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, PA (2006), the Appalacian Corridor Exhibition for the Avampato Discovery Museum in WV (2005), the 10th Annual National Art Competition at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri (1998) $1,500 in prizes were awarded, the Texas National Exhibition titled Art for the Year 2000 at Stephen Austin College in Nagodocies (1996) where three thousand entries were submitted and $4,500.00 in prizes were awarded. Ringgold curated the 25th anniversary exhibition of the Women’s Caucus for Art International Exhibition held in Chicago, February 1997. Ms. Ringgold supports the talent, effort, dedication and creativity of emerging artists.







Faith Ringgold's Artist Statement


I went to West Africa in the 1970s and returned home inspired to write my memoir. We Flew Over the Bridge: The Memoirs of Faith Ringgold was published in 1995 it took me fifteen years to get it published. During that time I wrote and painted story quilts and began to create masked performances to tell my story. I had been working in collaboration with my mother, Mme Willi Posey a dressmaker and fashion designer. We made our first quilt in 1980. 

News of the great jazz saxophonist, Sonny Rollins, a childhood friend, blowing his horn on the Manhattan bridge so that he would not disturb his neighbors, inspired the painted story quilt, Tar Beach. That story of Cassie Louise Lightfoot flying over the George Washington Bridge became my first children’s book. I have published 14 children’s books to date. 1990 found me in France painting the French Collection and writing the story of Willia Marie Simone, a self styled African American woman artist who went to Paris to be an artist in 1920 during the Harlem Renaissance. The American Collection came next and the story quilts and children’s books continued to document my artistic production. 

In 1992 my husband, Birdie, and I moved from Harlem to Jones Road in Englewood, New Jersey to build a studio. However, our white neighbors (unsuccessfully) sought to deny us the freedom to live there. Freedom, you know, is not free--It took me six years to realize my dream of a beautiful studio surrounded by a beautiful garden. Inspiring images of my ancestors on the Underground Railroad now appeared in my new landscape paintings of Coming to Jones Road Under a Blood Red Sky. Icons of black men and women making the music the whole world loves, the music we brought to America along with the pain of slavery was now a new inspiration. “Mama Can Sing” and “Papa Can Blow” are the ever reassuring realities of black life I depend on during difficult times. 

Recent work includes Our Ancestors: stories about the worlds children who faced with life in a world at war have forgotten how to play. We call upon our ancestors who would surely bring love and happiness into their lives? Where would we have been without them? 

It is 2007 and I have just completed a series of 8 serigraphs for publication of Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham City Jail, in which he masterfully details our struggle for freedom for which he paid with his life. The 1960s, the majestic words of freedom and peaceful solutions to The Struggle in America are all quite unimaginable without the presence of Martin Luther King Jr. A tribute I feel honored to create. 

Faith Ringgold
9/21/07






Honorary Doctorate

1          1986 Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2          1987 The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio.

3          1991 Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts.

4          1991 The City College, The City University of New York, New York, New York.

5          1992 State U of New York, State University College at Brockport May 17,1992

6          1993 California College of Arts and Crafts.

7          1994 Trustees of Rhode Island School of Design, June 4, 1994 

8          1996 Parsons School of Design,New York, May 14, 1996

9          1996  Russell Sage College,Troy, New York, September 26, 1996

10        1997 Wheelock College, Boston, Ma May 16, 1997

11        1997 Molloy College, Rockville Center, New York, May 17.

12        1999 Bank Street College of Education, U of the State of New York,,May 27, 

13        1999 Marymount Manhattan College, New York, New York, , June 8, 1999

14        2000 Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan, May 13, 2000

15        2001 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, , May 19, 2001

16        2001 The William Paterson University of New JerseyMay 15, 2001

17        2004 Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut,May 23, 2004

18        2005 Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, New Jersey, May 26, 2005

19        2007 Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, May 2007

20        2009 Rutgers New Brunswick, NJ May 20, 2009 (1          1986 Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2          1987 The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio.

3          1991 Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts.

4          1991 The City College, The City University of New York, New York, New York.

5          1992 State U of New York, State University College at Brockport May 17,1992

6          1993 California College of Arts and Crafts.

7          1994 Trustees of Rhode Island School of Design, June 4, 1994 

8          1996 Parsons School of Design,New York, May 14, 1996

9          1996  Russell Sage College,Troy, New York, September 26, 1996

10        1997 Wheelock College, Boston, Ma May 16, 1997

11        1997 Molloy College, Rockville Center, New York, May 17.

12        1999 Bank Street College of Education, U of the State of New York,,May 27, 

13        1999 Marymount Manhattan College, New York, New York, , June 8, 1999

14        2000 Marygrove College, Detroit, Michigan, May 13, 2000

15        2001 The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, , May 19, 2001

16        2001 The William Paterson University of New JerseyMay 15, 2001

17        2004 Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut,May 23, 2004

18        2005 Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, New Jersey, May 26, 2005

19        2007 Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, May 2007


20        2009 Rutgers New Brunswick, NJ May 20, 2009 Faith receives an Honorary Doctorate     

            Degree along with her friend Sonny Rollins.

 

 21.    ?


22.    2010.  Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
118-128 N. Broad St. May 14, 2010
http://www.pafa.org/About/Press-Room/Press-Room/235/vobId__5220/




23. Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art
Kensington Gore
London SW7 2EU
May 15, 2013















AWARDS

1- 1971 The Creative Artists Public Service Award for painting

2- 1976 The American Association of University Women for travel to West Africa,

3- 1980 The National Endowment for the Arts Award for sculpture, 1978 and for painting

4- 1987 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for painting

5 -1988 The New York Foundation for Arts Award for painting New York, New York.

6 - 1989 National Endowment for the Arts Award for Painting (NEA), Washington, D.C.

7- 1989 Fabric Workshop, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

8- 1989 Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Award, Baltimore, Maryland.

9 -1990 Annual Youth Friends Award, School Arts League, New York,

10 - 1990 LaNapoule Foundation Award, LaNapoule, France.

11 - 1991 The Studio Museum in Harlem, Honors the Artist of the Year,

12 - 1991  Tar Beach wins many awards:
                 School Library Journal, Seasame Street, Parents Magazine , New York Times
                 California Children's Book, Video and Software
                 Award, Publishers Weekly, Parents Choice

13 - 1992 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration: Tar Beach.

14 - 1992 Caldecott Honor Book: Tar Beach

15 - 1993  Jane Addam’s Peace Association Picture Book Award for
                 Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky, November 9, 1993

16 - 1994 “Womens Caucus for Art Honor Awards Exhibition,” 15th
                 Annual, Queens Museum of Art, Flushing, New York, January 25, 1994

17 - 1995 Townsend Harris Medal City College of NY Alum Assoc

18 - 1996 Spirit of Woman Award presented by the National Museum
                 of Women of the Arts, Washington, DC, May 22, 1996

19 - 1977 Arts Person of the Year,” The New Jersey Center

20 - 1997/1998 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award

21 - 1998 Pro Choice Activist Award, NARAL April 30,1998

22 - 1999 Banks Street, May 27, 1999

23 - 1999 City Arts Award, June 14, 1999

24 - 1999 Art alliance (Scholastic) April 13, 1999

25 - 1999 NAACP Image Award

26 - 2000 Mary Grove College, Honory Art Degree

27 - 2001 Art Institute, Chicago, IL, May 19,2001

28 - 2001 Dedicators Award 10/27/01

29 - 2002 California Art Educators Association Living Artists Award

30 - 2004 National Visionary Leadership Project

31 - 2004 The American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, New York, NY

32 - 2005 Moore College of Art and Design’s Visionary Women Award

33 - 2005 Amistad Center for Art & Culture Presidents Award

34 - 2006 James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Art Honoree

35 - 2006 Teacher of the Year, NYC Teachers Assn October 28, 2006

36 - 2006 Harlem Arts Alliance Golden Legacy Visual Arts Award

37 - 2007 Wisdom Award , National Visionary Leadership Program, Washington, DC

38 - 2007 Leadership Award, Congressional Black Caucus Spouses, Washington, DC

39 - 2008 National Women’s History Project

40 - 2009 LitWorld Story Power Award, NYC

41 - 2010 Black Art History Makers Award, 51st National Conference Artists of New York

42 - 2010 New York City Council Citation presented by Councilman Robert Jackson

43 - 2011 College Art Association - Distinguished Feminist Award at the 99th annual conference Met      
                Museum, NYC Distinguished Feminist Award, Faith Ringgold Feb 10, 2011

44 - 2011 John Jay College Malcom/King Breakfast honoree on Feb 25, 2011 , NYC
                               /John-Jay-Newsletter-Archive-2011
                                   

45 - 2011 May 12, 2011 Faith Ringgold will receive the “2011 Celebrating Women® Award” The                
                   New York Women’s Foundation NYWF Breakfast.org




46 - May 12, 2011
         Barbara Boggs Award from Womanspace, Forrestal, NJ 
           


47 - October 6, 2011
         The City College of New York presented 
          Faith Ringgold with the first Cultural Arts Award.
         Bronze sculpture by Otto Neals
         Quilt exhibition"Honoring Faith"
       http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/news/Faith-Ringgold-Honored-by-CCNY.cfm


48 - Oct 20, 2011
        Thelma Golding Award
       AskWith Forum
       Harvard
       Cambridge, MA


           Left to right: Sylvia Gail Kinard, Esq. (Moderator); Artist Faith Ringgold; Andrea Pinkney, VP & Senior Editor Scholastic Books; Dean Carlyle Thompson (Medgar Evers College); Professor Tonya Hegamin (panelist)
49           May 9, 2013
                Medgar Evers College
                Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action
               Brooklyn, NY
               Lifetime Achievement Award


50          Sept 13, 2013
            Legends Award from the National Black Arts Festival
            Atlanta, Georgia
             See photo  www.nbaf.org


51          October 9, 2014
             Award from National Assoc of Women Artist, NYC
             Video
         


52   October 14, 2014 -
         Award from Groundswell, NYC


53  October 15, 2015 -
       Award for the Artists Fellowship Foundation, NYC




















54   June 20, 2015
           American Association of University Women (AAUW)
         2015 AAUW Alumnae Recognition Award
          Conference in San Diego, CA 
           AAUW Creative Arts Award Fellowship in 1976 



NYFA   Hall of Fame Award  April 12, 2016
55.    April 12, 2016
        New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)
         2016 Hall of Fame Award 










56, Jan 19, Award from CAA, in NYC



57. Jan 19, 2017 
Medal of Honor, National Arts Club in New York
Award was presented by the NAC President, Linda Zagaria and 

Master of Ceremonies and Chairman of the Fine Arts Committee, Nicholas D. Lowry.


59.
April 26, 2017
Award from the Smithsonian, Washington, DC
Note: dorian Bergen accepted the award on Faith's behalf.

60. October 7, 2017
Academy of Arts and Science Induction
Boston, MA
61. Nov 7, 2017  MAD, NYC

Link to a large Black and White photo of Faith Ringgold

Translated into Spanish 

No comments: