The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles

Faith Ringgold’s Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles touches on all of the themes central to this exhibition. It celebrates eight Black women—Madam C.J. Walker, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hammer, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Baker, and Willia Marie Simone (a fictional character)—who, like Ringgold herself, overcame obstacles of race and gender. The text on the quilt asserts their joint identity and goal:

THE SUNFLOWER QUILTERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA . . . IS AN INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL OF OUR DEDICATION TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

Ringgold’s image honoring these individual women invokes our themes of kin and community. Moreover, the quilting bee takes place in a glorious field of sunflowers that exude the well-being of the natural world. Finally, this picture is about the role of art-making. The women come together as quilters. Not only are their quilted flowers echoed in nature but also in the work of Vincent van Gogh—a fellow artist.

Tori Erisman '22

Kristen Lauritzen ‘21

Isabel Williams ‘22

Faith Ringgold—Honorary Degree William & Mary

Similar Images (Lithography)