February 2021 GCBC: Black History Month: Art Activities, Culture, Movies

These Black History Month art activities are wonderful for getting to know Black leaders and creators, and learning from their gifts and style. Keep reading until the end for some virtual field trips to some amazing museums focused on Black history!

Featured Black Artist: Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold, born 1930 in Harlem, New York, is a painter, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, writer, teacher and lecturer. She received her B.S. and M.A. degrees in visual art from the City College of New York in 1955 and 1959. Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of California in San Diego, Ringgold has received 23 Honorary Doctorates.

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Black History Month Art Activities: Black History Craft & Culture Activities for Kids: Story Quilt

Featured Black History Month Art Activity: Faith Ringgold Story Quilt

Faith Ringgold was born in Harlem, New York in 1930. She started creating at a young age, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in New York, and taught in New York City Public Schools. She started creating story quilts originally with her mother to record stories. You, too, can make a story quilt, but first let’s learn a bit more from Faith.

Watch the videos below to learn about how she creates her quilts, and listen to her read aloud her children’s book Tar Beach about her story quilts!

Faith Ringgold Story Quilt Activity Materials

You can create a mixed media story quilt just like Faith Ringgold. Here is what you will need:

Watercolor paper
Watercolor paint palette
Oil pastels
(You can also use other heavy duty paper and colored pencils)
Fine tip black marker
Fabric and paper scraps, tissue paper
Pencil
Glue
Scissors

Sketch out an image from your memory with your pencil on the paper. This could be an important event in your life, a family vacation, or a happy time from a normal day (like riding your bike, playing a game with a friend, or reading a book).
Use your watercolor paints and oil pastels to paint in your scene. Let dry.
Using the black marker, write a sentence or two about your scene in a circle or square around your image.
Cut small squares from your fabric or paper scraps and glue them in a border around your scene. You may also use bits to glue onto your scene if you would like. Let dry.