Making It
Quilted Paintings
I stumbled off of the 6 train at Canal Street and dove face first into the hordes of tourists buying faux-faux-Chanel bags off of tarps that line the sidewalks. The streets were filled with noise and energy.
There are very few things that could get me to face Canal Street on a Saturday during the holidays, and the chance to see Faith Ringgold’s quilts in person at the Jack Shainman Gallery was one of those things.
My favorite thing about seeing shows in galleries versus seeing them in museums is that in a gallery you often don’t have the barriers between you and the work. You can get right up to the work and see every stitch.
While seeing shows in museums is wonderful, seeing shows in galleries is an excellent way to see art by artists that you love for free. From my experience, galleries are happy to welcome art lovers, no matter the size of your wallet.
This show had paintings from Ringgold’s early years, pre-quilts, and you can slowly see fibers creep into her work. You can see her change as an artist, the experimenting with materials, and even the evolution of her signature over time.
I took the elevator up to the second floor, and when the doors opened I was struck by what would be my two favorite works from the exhibition: “Coming to Jones Road Part II #3 Aunt Emmy and Baby Freedom” and “Coming to Jones Road Part II #4 Aunt Emmy and Uncle Tate” both acrylic on quilted fabric from 2010.
These two are from her later years, and you can see that she had completely settled into the style of narrative quilts that I think of when I think of her work. I could have stayed in this alcove all day tracing the path of every basting stitch and brush stroke across the quilts.
Moving into the main hall, it was a choose your own adventure to explore Ringgold’s work.
I started with “Jazz Stories Mama Can Sing, Papa Can Blow #2: Come On Dance With Me,” which looks to be about the size of a queen bed, from 2004. I couldn’t help but wonder which came first, the painting or the border. I found myself wondering if she pulled her colors from the prints in the fabric that she used to frame the work, or if the borders were selected after to match. I imagined her mixing each shade to match the prints, or flipping through fabrics to fit the painting.
There’s an energy coming off Ringgold’s work. Her subjects are in motion, and you can feel that when looking at them.
Born in Harlem in 1930, Ringgold learned to sew through her mother, Willi Posey Jones, who was a fashion designer. She was also taught the art of quilting in an African American style by her grandmother, who had in turn learned it from her mother, Susie Shannon, who was enslaved.
Ringgold’s experimentation with textiles in her art began with what she referred to as “tankas.” Inspired by the religious and spiritually significant Tibetan thangkas she first encountered when visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Ringgold’s version manifested as paintings on unstretched canvas adorned with sewn fabric borders.
In the gallery, her “Window of the Wedding” paintings from the early 1970s were placed on the opposite side of the room from “Jazz Stories” and I found it fascinating to see the beginnings of Ringgold incorporating fabric as canvas compared to the full quilts I had just seen around the corner.
Many people, when they think of Faith Ringgold, think of her historical figure quilts. This exhibition had Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Martin Luther King Jr. on display, which were remarkable to see up close.
As a multimedia artist who was also an art teacher in the New York City public school system, her works explored themes of family, race, class, and gender. Her series of story quilts, designed from the 1980s on, captured the experiences of Black Americans and became her signature art form.
Ringgold was adamant in calling her story quilts “paintings” made “in the medium of quilting.” I think most of us stitchers can understand why. Her work combines serious subject matter with the “fine art” medium of painting and the “craft” of quilting to place the art of quilting onto the same level as that of a canvas.
“I love when materials historically dismissed as “craft” are recognized as fine art.” —Faith Ringgold
The exhibition also featured a few of her masks. I noticed two on display, and I hope I didn’t miss others.
I saw the first one, “Flower Face Mask #1” purely by chance. I happened to look up just above eye level, and there it was staring down at me, its intricately sewn face adorned by beads. I was immediately in awe and inspired.
I ran to the attendant to ask if there were any more and where I could spot them, and she pointed me towards an alcove I had spent a long time in, but apparently with my back facing the second mask. I immediately ran back. And tucked around a corner and above eye line was “Nigerian Face Mask #2.” It was just as beautiful as the first.
I had only intended to spend thirty minutes in the show. I don’t know who I was kidding with that estimate. About an hour and a half later I emerged, my creative tank just as full as my camera roll.
Ringgold passed away in 2024 at the age of 93, having written and illustrated over a dozen children’s books in addition to her artwork. Standing in that gallery, surrounded by decades of her making, I felt the weight of her impact.
From her great-grandmother who quilted while enslaved to everyone who will pick up a needle because they saw Faith Ringgold’s work. It was such a joy to see this influential artist’s work and chase those common threads in person.
This exhibition runs through January 24, 2026, so there’s still time to see it.
Come shop our end-of-year sale! Up to 85% savings on yarns, bags, books, notions—treat yourself, find a gift, have fun with this.
Thanks for sharing- this is brilliant art. I love the colors!
If Samantha is an “elderly millennial” I think that makes me an “ancient boomer”! I love her postings here on MDK and this one really blew me away. I would love to see these incredible works in person, but this is stunning in itself. Many thanks, Samantha and MDK! (And excellent photos too.)
Ahh—“ancient boomer”—what a fabulous phrase! That’s me too. Thanks for that.
What an amazing woman! My sister and I will be in NYC for Vogue Knitting Live and I was going to add this to our list…so sad the show will be closing a few days earlier:(
Thank you Samantha for sharing.
Thank you for sharing these quilts! I got to see some of her quilts while visiting the EJI’s Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama. So moving ! When I taught memior writing to teens, I used the picture book Tar Beach which was written by Faith Reingold.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to our national treasure, Faith Ringgold with knitters! As a fellow quilter, I’ve loved her work for decades. I didn’t know about this gallery show, but I am going to make my best effort to get to NYC to see it! Thank you again for sharing such colorful inspiration, what a treat for me, on my birthday!!!
I got to see some her quilted paintings at MAD (Museum of Art and Design) at Columbus Circle last year. So vibrant and moving. Imagine if you or one of your kids had her as an art teacher in a NYC public school, fabulous!
Thank you for this! I missed her NYC show last year and now I have the chance to see her quilts in person! Will bundle up and head down to Canal Street tomorrow.
Although I had heard of her, I wasn’t very familiar with her work. Thanks for sharing your experience and lots of pictures so I can get to know her better. Very beautiful artwork!
Love her work.. thanks for bringing us to this show!
I bought my daughter Tar Beach to read to her and to go through the pictures. Such beautiful, evocative artwork, and of the first city she would run from Vermont to! 🙂 I’ve always loved her work but didn’t appreciate her progression from painting on fabric to painting with it. Thanks for this.
Such a beautiful review of Faith ringgold’s glorious work . Thank you!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this beautiful exhibit and your experience.
I LOVE Faith Ringgold. A true artist and activist in whatever medium she chose. Thank you for featuring her work.