Faith Ringgold Workshop

In November 2011, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in a collaborative workshop with one of my heroines, Ms. Faith Ringgold. A select group of art educators across the state of Missouri met at The Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri on Saturday. We settled into the classroom, in the presence of Faith’s greatness. I broke the ice and approached her, introducing myself and expressing my thanks for her influence on my art and career. Rounds of photos and autographs commenced before Grace Mathews, Faith’s assistant of 17 years, demonstrated the collaborative quilt project. We quickly got to work while Faith roamed the room and told us stories. After finishing our individual sections, it was magical to watch her arrange them. The rest of the afternoon, a few teachers worked tirelessly stitching the quilt together. By 6pm that night, it was finished and hanging on the wall in time for Faith’s lecture about her work. Special thanks to Angela Fowles, Exhibition and Programming Manager.