Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold grew up in Harlem during the Renaissance era, surrounded by jazz musicians and writers, and studied art education at City College of New York after being denied entry to the school's fine arts programme, which at the time did not admit women.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, Ringgold's painting turned overtly political, addressing racism and sexism through works like the American People series, and she became an active organiser protesting the exclusion of Black and women artists from major museums. In the 1980s she began developing her signature "story quilts," combining painted canvas, fabric, and handwritten narrative text, a form inspired by both African American quilting traditions and Tibetan thangka painting.

Her 1988 story quilt Tar Beach, depicting a young girl who dreams of flying above her Harlem rooftop, was adapted into a bestselling and Caldecott Honor–winning children's book in 1991, introducing her work to millions of young readers. Ringgold continued creating art, writing, and teaching until her death in 2024, leaving behind a body of work that reshaped how narrative, craft, and fine art could intersect.