Dancing at the Louvre: Faith Ringgold's French Collection and Other Story Quilts

184 Pages·1998·34.04 MB·English

by  Dan Cameron

RINGGOLD'S AND OTHER STORY QUILT
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EXHIBITION
organizedbyDanCameron Theindividualviewsexpressed UniversityofCaliforniaPress
nemnasjuu intheexhibitionandpublication BerkeleyandLosAngeles.California
5N8e3wBrMouasdweauym,oNfeCwonYtoerkm,poNrYar1y0A0r1t2 Maruesneoutmn.ecessanlythoseofthe UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Ltd.
"FaithRinggold'sPicasso'sStudio" ©1998byTheRegentsof
DanCuCraatmoer:ron b19y96A,nTnhGeibUsnoinv.erCsoiptyyroifghCthi©cago theUniversityofCalifornia
ExhibitionSupervision: Press.Reprintedbypermission
JohnHatfield ofthepublisher. LibraryofCongressCataloging-m-PublicationData
ExhibitionCoordinator:
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CATALOG 1991,1997,FaithRinggold. betweenJan.24.1998andOctoberI
Includesbibliographicreferencesandindex.
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PROJECT SPONSORS CIP
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forInformationSciences PermanenceofPaperfor
PrintedLibraryMateria
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Contents
ExhibitionTour '< SELECTED WORKS BY FAITH RINC
Acknowledgments
QuiltStories:ASelciI
Foreword
1 hronologyforFaithFlinggold
Introduction: • Exhibitions
FaithRinggold'sFrenchConnection
SelectedBibliography
LivingHistory: Contributors
FaithRinggold'sRendezvous
withtheTwentiethCentury LenderstotheExhibition
Index
TheFrenchCollection:
MommaJones,MommyFay,andMe
TheCastrationofMemphisCooly:
Race,Gender,andNationalistIconography
intheFlagArtofFaithRinggold
FaithRinggold"sJourney:
FromGreekBuststoAfrican
AmericanDilemmaTales
OfCottonandSunflowerFields:
TheMakingsofTheFrenchand
'lection
FaithRinggold's

1
Acknowledgments
BECAUSE FAITH RINGGOLD'S contributionto theexhibition.Theopportunitytocopublishthecatalog
Americanartissobroadlybased,oneofthemostfrequent withtheUniversityofCaliforniaPresshasprovidedthe
occurrencesinorganizinganexhibitionofherworkisthe NewMuseumwithanopportunitytoreachfarn.
startlingrecognitionthatherinfluenceandthetraceofher ersthanwouldhavebeenpossibleotherwise.Wearepar-
ideascanbefoundpracticallyeverywhere.Fromstory- ticularlygratefultoitsdirector,Jan.' .1his
tellertofeminist,fromhistoricalrevisionisttopan effortsinmakingithappen.Inthisspirit,v.
showsthatcreativeexpressionismeaninglessunlessitis liketoextendourdeepestthankstothecatalogaul
accompaniedbyajourneydeepintotheself,andherstory theirinsightsintoFaithRinggold'sworkandtheir
quiltsstandascolorfulproofthatnopartoflifeistooper- acceptanceofthetightdeadlines.
sonalorpolitical,tootrivialorfantastic,tobecometrans- MycolleaguesattheNewMuseumhav<
formedintoaninspiringworkofart.Forthisreason,the Iarlyunstintingintheirsupportoftl
NewMuseum'sgreatestdebtofthanksisowedtoFaith inception,andIwouldespeciallyliki I
Ringgoldherself,forbothherendlesslyinspiringoeuvre Tucker,thedirector;CharlayneHaynes,themanaging
andhergeneroustemperament. director;andDennisSzakacs,thedirectorofplan:
Thisexhibitioncouldnothavetakenplacewithoutthe development,fortheirinvaluableguidanceanda
consideratesupportofthosefoundationswhichhavecho- tion.MelanieFranklin,thecuratorialadmr
sentorecognizecontemporaryartasthefieldwheresome oncemoreproven,thistimethroughthecx|
ofthemostlastingachievementsofthehumanspiritpre- tionofboththetourandthecatalogprodi. I
vail.ThesepatronsincludetheAT&TFoundation,the energyandorganizationalskillsare
JohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation,theRichardFlor- thesuch
sheimArtFund,andtheAndyWarholFoundationforthe andmeticulousnessofJohn1
VisualArts.Wearealsoindebtedtothosemuseumsand tor,inarrangingloansandb.
individuallenderstotheNewMuseumwhohavegra- chandisingpla:
ciouslypartedwithcherishedtreasurestohelpmakethis
projectasuccess.Althoughtheselendersarelistedelse-
where,certainindividualswhohelpedarrangetheloans
deservespecialthanks:JeffreyBergenofACAC:i
MadelineMurphyRaab.andJudithStein.
TheNewMuseumishonoredtobecollaboratingwith
severalmajorU.S.artmuseumson::
theLouvre,"andwewanttoexpressoura|
thedirectorsoftheseinstitutions,a
curators,andotherstaffmen I
THERE ARE SO MANY peopletothankforthiscatalog, andIamenormouslydelighted,eventhoughIwillnow
theaccompanyingexhibition,andallthegoodthingsthat needahattwosizeslargerormore.
havecometomeatthissweettimeofmylife.Icannot Mydealers,Sydney,Jeff,andDorianBergen,arejust
begintothankeveryone,soIwilljustmentionthosewho whatallartistsneedtofacetheworld.Makaela,Conner,
aredirecdyinvolvedwiththiswonderfulbookandtheexhi- Julie,Michael,andalltheothersattheACAGalleriescould
bitionofmyworkcuratedbyDanCameronattheNew notbemorehelpfultome.Mymanycollectors,both
Museum.Thankyou.Thankyou.Thankyou.Allofyou. publicandprivate,whohaveunselfishlyagreedtoloan
Nowtomakesomeveryspecialremarksaboutsome piecesforthistwo-yeartravelingshow,aretobeespecially
veryspecialpeople.WhenIfirstmetMarciaTucker,I thanked.I'mgladtheylikemyworkandwillmisshaving
neverdreamedthatsometwenty-sevenyearslatershe itaround.Myquiltersassistants,ConnieHaile,Leanne
wouldbethedirectoroftheNewMuseum,oneofthe Pierce,andSandiBraccey,whodidsuchagoodjobofcom-
mostinnovativecontemporaryfineartmuseumsinAmer- pletingthehand-quiltingonthecurrentAim
ica,andthatIwouldbehavingashowthere.Andwhen "savedmylife"—ifyouknowwhatImean.
DanCameronfirsttoldmeabouttheproposedshowof Lookingback,ImustthankDeniseMummandGail
myworkattheNewMuseumIwashardlypreparedfor Liebig,goodfriendswhoworkedwithmeonThe.
thein-depthtreatmentmyworkwouldreceiveandthe Collection.AndMelanieFranklinoftheNewMuseum,who
exhibition'sexcitingtravelitinerarytootherartmuseums keptourcommunicationontextsandpicturesmoving
acucrraotsosrtsh—eMcoouinrtaryR.otDhi,stminygudiasuhgehdtearrtMhiicshtoerlieanWsa,lclraictiec,s,and boenautthiefuclalsye.eAvnedryGrstaecpeoWfeltthey.wamyy,afsrsiosmtatnhte,wbehgoinhnaisngbetoen
TPhoawellila,GDouamna-CPaemteerrosno,n,anAdnMnaGricbisaoTnu,cPkaetrr—ickhaHivlel,wRriictkten atlhl.emenyd,daarnldinhgahsunsebvaenrd.miBsusreddetatebeRaitn.gAgonldd,lawsth,obuhtelfiprsstmoef
generouslyandbrilliantlyaboutmyworkforthisbook, alwaysandhindersmenever.
FAITH RINGGOLD