ARTIST’S LECTURE
Faith Ringgold: More Than 50 Years
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Diana Wortham Theatre
Tickets on Sale August 15, 2008

Faith Ringgold

“Personal Narrative” is the theme of the constellation of programs for the artist Faith Ringgold.  Her work as a painter, textile artist, and children’s book author explores the African-American experience both personally and in a more universal way. 
She has written and illustrated eleven children’s books and is best known for her story quilts which bridge craft and fine art by combining painting, quilted fabric and storytelling. 

Faith Ringgold has received numerous prestigious awards for her work.  Her art is showcased in exhibitions throughout the world and housed in many permanent museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art.   She has taught art at the University of California in San Diego.

Ringgold’s work invokes a dialogue about racial histories and representations.  She uses different mediums and styles to comment on her perspective as a woman and an African American artist working at a time of social instability and widespread change.  Her quilts are inspired by past African-American experiences and yet still touch on the racial dialogue occurring in the present moment. 

Her work has been instrumental in advocating for a more diverse presence of artists in museums across the country, especially in terms of racial and gender representations.  Through humor and play, she questions the tension between ‘primitive and civilized’ by tapping into historical assumptions and creatively relating the past to the present.  Her writings, illustrations, and mixed media works combine to create a unique style that attracts both children and adults to her humanistic messages.  Tar Beach, Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky, The Invisible Princess, and other books and story quilts do not reprimand but instill hope in the reader to pursue their own dreams with affirmation and joy. 

Faith Ringgold will talk about her more than 50 years as an artist and writer exploring the African-American experience.

Tickets available at Diana Wortham Theatre Box Office.  $24 General Admission, $16 Students and $20 Museum Members.

Additional Ticket Information: In person, during box office hours, some additional fees apply. Online, www.dwtheatre.com, per ticket and per order processing fees apply. Charge-by-Phone, 828-257-5430, $3.50 processing fee per order (tickets held at will-call). Tickets can be mailed to the patron for a $1 additional fee.

UP FOR DISCUSSION
Faith Ringgold and the Postmodern Quilt with Nancy Sokolove, Adult Programs Manager
Thursday, October 30 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Asheville Art Museum's WNC Resource Center
What is postmodernism, and why is Faith Ringgold the quintessential postmodern visual artist? Explore how Ringgold’s quilts tell stories that rewrite conventional histories and how her works specifically address gender and racial disparities. Nancy Sokolove incorporated Ringgold’s art into her art history and interdisciplinary studies courses, and centered a paper she gave at the College Art Association on Ringgold’s work. Prior to joining the Museum’s staff, she taught for seven years at Appalachian State University and two years at UNC Asheville. 

FILM SCREENING
Two Films About Quilts
Thursday, November 6, 6:00 p.m.
Pack Memorial Library
Faith Ringgold: The Last Story Quilt (30 minutes) and The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend (60 minutes). The Last Story Quilt profiles artist Faith Ringgold from her childhood determination to be an artist despite not having any role models, to her current life as a painter and story quilt artist whose works are in the collections of museums around the world. The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend documents a group of internationally-acclaimed black quiltmakers from Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Their work has been hailed by Michael Kimmelman of The New York Times as “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend explores the extraordinary lives, inspirations, and history of these artists, and also follows them on a poignant and sometimes very comical bus journey to see their quilts exhibited at The Milwaukee Art Museum.

DISPLAY
Family Story Quilt
November 1 – December 1, 2008 — Submission Dates
December 1, 2008 – January 1, 2009 — Display Dates
Pack Memorial Library, Pack Children’s Library
Children and families can submit their 8.5 x 11 inches paper quilt squares to the Children’s Department at Pack Memorial Library through the end of November, for display during the month of December. Examples will be at the Pack Children’s Library. For more information, please call 828.250.4720.

DISPLAY
The AIDS Memorial Quilt: A Tapestry of Lives
November 24 – December 1, 2008
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving Day)
Pack Place
Beginning Monday, November 24th and ending with a candlelight memorial vigil at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1st, The AIDS Memorial Quilt: A Tapestry of Lives will be on display in Pack Place. Don't miss the special screening of Just As I Am by artist Carolyn DeMerritt at the Asheville Art Museum Library on continuous view November 29 and 30.

PERFORMANCE
Spoken Word Poetry Performance: Glenis Redmond
December 11, 2008
6:30 p.m.
Pack Memorial Library
Lord Auditorium
Performance poet Glenis Redmond delights audience members of all ages as she makes the written word spring from the page and dance. Drawing on her family stories and African-American heritage, Redmond's poems remind us to honor who we are and where we come from. A local poet and educator, she performs her work throughout the United States, England and Italy. Call 828.250.4720 for more information.

smArt speak, Asheville Art Museum's Distinguished Artist Series, is sponsored by a grant from MetLife Foundation.  A series partner is the Bumcombe County Library System.  Additional partners are the University of North Carolina at Asheville and The Asheville School.  In-kind sponsors include Renaissance Asheville Hotel, Haywood Park Hotel, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Fugazy Travel and WCQS Public Radio.

Recommended Reading:

Faith Ringgold

Books:

Tar Beach (1991)

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky (1992)

Dinner at Aunt Connie's House (1993)

Bonjour Lonnie (1996)

My Dream of Martin Luther King (1995)

The Invisible Princess (1998)

The French Collection Part 1

Coming to Jones Road

If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks (1999)

Counting to Tar Beach (1999)

Cassie's Colorful Day (1999)

Cassie's Word Quilt (2002)

We Flew Over the Bridge: The Memoirs of Faith Ringgold (1995)

Talking to Faith Ringgold (1996) by Faith Ringgold, Linda Freeman & Nancy Roucher

O Holy Night (2004)