Hate is a sin Flag
Faith Ringgold
Englewood, New Jersey
Hate is a Sin Flag, 2007
Fem Fable, 2007
Acrylic on paper
Can we adequately examine the impact of white supremacy without addressing institutionalized racism? Who controls the institutions that create policy, educational curriculum, and opportunities for creative expression?
In 1968, as Faith Ringgold distributed leaflets outside the Whitney Museum in Manhattan to protest the exclusion of African Americans from major museum exhibitions, she was called “nigger” for the first time in her life. For this exhibition, Ringgold designed a flag based on the Confederate “Southern Cross,” upon which she wrote the story of her experience in New York, and she supported it with a creation fable.
Fifty years later, we might still ask, “Who decides what is exhibited, presented, broadcasted, and published?” What might we learn if we were to explore our relationships with privilege, disproportionate poverty, and responsibility for democracy? Our national values celebrate equality and respect for diversity. Are there conversations that can be cathartic for Americans who wish to achieve realization of these ideals?
Bio
Faith Ringgold began her artistic career more than 35 years ago as a painter. Today, she is best known for her painted story quilts and has exhibited in major museums in the U.S., Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Her work is in the permanent collection of many museums, including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Her first book, Tar Beach, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, among numerous other honors. She has received more than 75 awards, fellowships, citations, and honors for her artwork.