ART MASTERPIECE:
The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles, (France)
1991 by Faith Ringgold
Grade: 6TH Grade
Pronounced: Faith RING-gold
Keywords: Color, Quilting, Women’s Rights, Civil Rights, Metaphor, Shape
Color: An element of art. The hue, value, and intensity of an object. The primary colors are
red, blue, and yellow: every color except white can be created from various blending of
these three colors.
Quilting: Sewing small pieces of cloth into patterns, called blocks, that are then sewn
together to make a finished quilt top.
Women’s Rights: The rights claimed for women, equal to those of man, with respect to voting, owning
property, the professional fields, etc…
Civil Rights: The rights belonging to an individual by virtue of citizenship, especially the fundamental
freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and by
subsequent acts of Congress, including civil liberties, due process, equal protection of the laws, and freedom
from discrimination.
Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily means one thing is used to
represent another, thus making a suggested comparison, as in “a sea of troubles”.
Shape: An element of art. The outline, edge, or flat surface of a form as a circle or a square.
Powerpoint & Print
Video:www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_JVAaZYunk (0:58 min)
Website: www.faithringgold.com
Meet the Artist (5 min):
Pg. 2
Faith Ringgold was born in Harlem, N.Y. in 1930. She grew up during the time of the Great
Depression. As a child she had asthma so she didn’t go to school until 2nd grade.
Her mother taught her at home and took her to museums. She gave her paper and crayons
to draw. Since her mother was a dressmaker, she also taught Faith how to sew, giving
her bits of cloth, needle and thread to make little things.
She received her Masters of Art degree in 1959, but while in school, she had a professor
who didn’t like her drawings and told her that he didn’t think that she would be an artist. (So
believe in yourself!)
Faith Ringgold began her artistic career more than 35 years ago as a painter. Today, she is
best known for her painted story quilts – art that combines painting, quilted fabric and
storytelling. When she started out, there weren't many galleries that would even show the
work of a black woman. When she was able to, she could not afford to pay to have her art work
framed and then shipped (they would be too heavy and expensive). As an alternative, she decided
to frame them in cloth using a quilt design. That way, she could roll them up to be shipped and it was much
less expensive. In the 1960’s through her art and political protest, she worked with other
African American artists toward the inclusion of women and minorities in museum exhibits.
You can currently see her artwork at many important museums (Phoenix Art Museum is one of them).
She has since exhibited all over the world and has her work in many permanent museum
collections, mostly in New York City. She has also written and illustrated over a dozen
children’s books. She has received more than 75 awards for painting and writing.
Faith is married with two children, three grandchildren and is a professor of art at the
University of California, San Diego.
Discussion (10 min):
Pg. 3
• Important Lesson: What is a quilt? Quilting is an art form. African-American women are
credited with the beginning of quilt-making in America. Making quilts was part of their
duties as slaves and they made them for the plantation owner’s family. Quilts were part of
Faith Ringgold’s family tradition.
• What kinds of things do you see in this painting?
• Does this painting tell a story?
• Who is in the painting? (African women in Arles, France displaying their quilt with the
famous Van Gogh standing in the background. )
• Where is Arles? (Southern France)
• How would you describe the lines, the shapes, the colors? What is a metaphor?
• Do you like it?
• What would you title this artwork?
• Does it make you want to learn how to quilt?
• What is worth remembering about this painting?
Project: Sunflower Quilt Square.
Pg. 4
Project Materials:
-Sunflower or a picture of one
- 8”x8” Tag Board (or Card Stock), 1 per student
- 8”x8” squares of White Muslin Fabric, 1 per student
-8.5”x 11”Copy paper
-Optional Material:
-Canvas Paper Pads cut into squares instead of using Card Stock or Muslin Fabric, 1 per student
-Quilting Fabric in various designs and colors, ½ yard to 1yard and cut into long ½ inch strips
-Pencils
- Black Sharpie Permanent Markers (Fine Tip)
-Embellishments (Buttons, yarn, sequence, applique items you find on quilts)
-White glue, Preferably Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue (15-20 4fl. oz bottles)
-Acrylic Paints, Paint Brushes, Paint Trays, Water Cups, Painting Smocks
-Parent Letters, 1 per student (May be a short paragraph on index size card or piece of paper cut to that size.
On the paragraph students can write about:
What would you do to make the world a better place?
-Also if time is short have the students write one Positive Phrase on their quilt square. The phrase should
describe them or the world around them in a positive light. Ex. Happy, Peace, Faith, Love, Kindness etc…
Advance Preparation:
Pg. 5
-Cut Card Stock, Muslin Fabric, Quilting Fabric or any Canvas Paper ahead of time. (Do this a day or two
ahead of time)
-In this project the Quilting Fabric will be used to make a Decorative Boarder. Cut ½ inch pieces length wise,
from a long piece of material to cover the edges of the Muslin and Card Stock area.
-If you do not have Paint Smocks, do let the teacher know you will be using Acrylics and students should were
something that they do not mind getting paint on for the day of this activity. Have teacher send out and email
-Day of Lesson: Please give yourself plenty of time to prepare your Paint Trays with Acrylic Paints and Water
Cups filled with water.
-First pass out Copy Paper, Card Stock, Tacky Glue and Muslin Fabric. Do not place all the materials paints,
water etc… on the student’s desk. Allow them to finish one portion of the project at a time.
Process (45-60 min):
Pg. 6
• Show the students examples of sunflowers or place the image on the doc camera. Ask the
teacher to help if you are unfamiliar with the device. Also, displaying an art sample of project helps.
•Have students write their name on back of Card Stock if they are not writing a Letter.
•On 8.5”x11” Copy Paper students can draw out their sunflower.
• Instruct the students to design a large sunflower on their paper – Be creative, make it BIG!
• Students may than do a transfer of their sunflower by placing 8”x8” Muslin Fabric over Copy Paper.
•Have them trace their sunflower on to the fabric with their pencils.
•If adding a Phrase instead of Letter, have students put their Positive Phrase in at this time.
•They may then trace back over with a Black Permanent Marker.
•Next, have students glue the 8”x8” square of Card Stock and Muslin Fabric with the Tacky Glue.
•The students should then put fabric aside when done tracing their sunflower.
•Now have students glue the edges ONLY of the Card Stock.
•NOTE: Glue all over makes it difficult to paint or make adjustments to the sunflower design.
•Once the edges have glue the students may carefully place their fabric on to the Card Stock.
•After Muslin Fabric is on Card Stock, the Quilt Strips may be placed all around edges of quilt square.
•You may than pass out Paint Trays, Paint Brushes, and Water Cups.
•Students may now begin to paint their sunflower design.
•Embellishments may also be added to Quilt Square at this time.
•Have them sign their name to the Letter, then glue to the backside of the square.
•Set Sunflower Quilt Squares aside and allow the project to dry.
•Display each Sunflower Quilt Square side by side to make display look like a large quilt!
Clean Up:
Make sure all glue bottles are closed tightly and that all unused supplies are saved for other classes.
SAMPLE ART:
Pg. 7
1.
2.
Penciled Sunflower design on copy paper.
Sharpie Permanent marker used to
Trace over pencil drawing on paper.
3.
4.
Now place Muslin Fabric over
Sunflower design on Muslin Fabric
Sharpie tracing to help trace with pencil.
SAMPLE ART CONT.:
Pg. 8
5.
6.
Use Tacky Glue, ONLY on all 4 edges of
Carefully place Muslin Fabric on
Card Stock.
Card Stock.
7.
8.
Now Glue Quilting Strips on the
Students may began painting their
boarders of Muslin Fabric.
Sunflower design.
SAMPLE ART CONT.:
Pg. 9
9.
10.
Sunflower Quilt Square painted with
Embellishments:
Quilt Strips on the boarders.
4 Black Buttons and 1 Ladybug Button.
11.
Sunflower Quilt Square with Embellishments.
SAMPLE ART CONT.:
Pg. 10
12.
Large Sunflower Quilt with
Positive Phrase.
13.
Entire 6th Grade Class Sunflower Quilt Squares on
Display.