Faith Ringgold: Wanted.WANTED The title of this piece, Wanted: Douglass, Tubman, and Truth, refers to three notable figures: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth: see Truth, Sojourner. (from left to right). All three were former slaves who, once free, went on to speak, write, and act to help other slaves. Why do students think the artist used the word Wanted in the title? LIGHT AND DARK Ringgold painted this work over a piece of quilted quilt n. 1. A coverlet or blanket made of two layers of fabric with a layer of cotton, wool, feathers, or down in between, all stitched firmly together, usually in a decorative crisscross design. 2. fabric. Ask students: What time of day do the background colors suggest? (Night, perhaps with a full moon.) What colors did Ringgold use for the three figures, and what do those colors remind you of? (Black and white: old age, wisdom, solemnity SOLEMNITY. The formality established by law to render a contract, agreement, or other act valid. 2. A marriage, for example, would not be valid if made in jest, and without solemnity. Vide Marriage, and Dig. 4, 1, 7; Id. 45, 1, 30. , churches, funerals.) HAVE A SEAT Ask students: Are the three figures standing or sitting? How can you tell? (The position of Douglass' hands suggest that they are resting on his lap, and the red shape behind the group looks like it could be a couch.) How does having them seated affect the way we perceive them? (It gives them more dignity; they look at peace.) See page 34 for more information and activities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Meet the artist As a child, Faith Ringgold Faith Ringgold (born October 8, 1930) is an African-American artist and author. Ringgold was born and raised in Harlem and educated at the City College of New York, where she studied with Robert Gwathmey and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. was taught to make quilts by her great-great grandmother--whose own mother, as a Southern slave, had sewn sewn v. A past participle of sew. sewn Verb a past participle of sew Adj. 1. quilts for plantation owners. This personal history informs Ringgold's art, including her storytelling Storytelling Aesop semi-legendary fabulist of ancient Greece. [Gk. Lit.: Harvey, 10] Münchäusen Baron traveler grossly embellishes his experiences. [Ger. Lit. quilts and children's books (such as the Caldecott Award-winning Tar Beach). Traditionally, quilts were used in the African-American community to exchange secret messages, preserve memories, and tell stories. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ringgold was born in Harlem in 1930 and worked as a teacher for more than 18 years. A feminist and activist, she believes in the power of the spirit to soar and achieve one's dreams--for all races. Encourage students to participate in Ringgold's "Racial Questions and Answers" study on www.faithringgold.com. The site asks visitors to imagine what it would be like if their racial identity was changed one morning from black to white or vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. . Use it to launch a discussion about racial understanding. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Heroes of History The three figures depicted on Faith Ringgold's masterpiece were all famous "conductors" on the Underground Railroad Underground Railroad, in U.S. history, loosely organized system for helping fugitive slaves escape to Canada or to areas of safety in free states. It was run by local groups of Northern abolitionists, both white and free blacks. , the secret route to freedom in the North for escaped slaves. Sojourner Truth BORN: 1797 DIED: 1883 BACKGROUND: Sojourner Truth was amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. for her time. She freed herself from slavery, traveled around the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. preaching and speaking out against slavery, had a book published about her during her lifetime, and purchased and sold her own land. ACTIVITY: Truth is famous for a speech she gave on women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns. The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and in 1851 called "Ain't I a Woman?" Have students find and read the speech, then role-play what Truth might say today were she to appear on a modern-day talk show. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Frederick Douglass BORN: 1817 DIED: 1895 BACKGROUND: A remarkable speaker, author, traveler, abolitionist, and eventually Minister of Haiti, Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. He escaped in 1838 after 21 years as a slave. A champion of the abolitionist cause, Douglass traveled the country making speeches and writing articles about the terrors of slavery. He wrote The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and started a newspaper advocating freedom for slaves. ACTIVITY: None of the subjects in Ringgold's painting is looking straight at the viewer. Instead, their expressions suggest that they are thinking of faraway far·a·way adj. 1. Very distant; remote. 2. Abstracted; dreamy: a faraway look. faraway Adjective 1. very distant 2. events and places. Have each student write a first-person internal monologue The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. about the plans and dreams of Douglass, Tubman, or Truth. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Harriet Tubman BORN: 1820 DIED: 1913 BACKGROUND: Harriet Tubman, also born a slave in Maryland, is believed to have been responsible for shepherding approximately 300 people to freedom during her work on the Underground Railroad. Tubman herself escaped slavery and fled to Philadelphia and eventually on to Canada. She returned to the South and risked her personal safety many times, making 19 trips to free fellow slaves. She was so successful that a reward of $40,000 was posted for her capture. After the Civil War she founded two schools, worked for women's rights, and opened a home for the elderly. ACTIVITY: The Underground Railroad was not a real railroad but an association of people who worked to help others. All the "riders" were headed to the same destination: freedom. Ask students to design tickets for a rider in the railroad. What should a ticket to freedom look like? How much would such a ticket cost? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RELATED ARTICLE Here's all you need: * A photo of each child's personal hero * T-shirts * Cardboard * Chalk * Fabric paints with fine nozzle tops (and/or small paintbrushes paintbrushes see castilleja. ) * Fabric scraps * Permanent fabric glue [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Now get to work: Faith Ringgold honored three African-American heroes through her painting. Now students can honor their own heroes by using Ringgold's style of painting on fabric. Guide children through the following steps: 1. Insert cardboard inside your t-shirt to make a firm surface and to prevent paint from seeping seep intr.v. seeped, seep·ing, seeps 1. To pass slowly through small openings or pores; ooze. 2. To enter, depart, or become diffused gradually. n. 1. through. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Using chalk, sketch your hero on the front of your t-shirt. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3. Use fabric paints to paint an image of your hero and his or her name. Let dry. Turn the t-shirt over and paint "My Hero" on the back. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 4. Cut fabric strips to create a quilt-like border around your image. Glue in place with permanent fabric glue. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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