HAND SEWN MASKS by Kathrine Page

Listed as one of the most influential living African American Artists, Ringgold’s work casts an honest look at racism. Influenced by the tradition of tribal masks in Ghana and Nigeria, Rringgold creates masks, soft sculptures, and story quilts. In the late 1980s, I was smitten by her book, Tar Beach. It won over 20 awards including the coveted Caldecott Honor award! The enduring power of any art is its ability to tell a story from personal experience. Ringgold tells her story on canvases populated by figures cramped in a shallow stage, in a state of suspension, using vivid color harmonies and the techniques of folk art. She was ahead of her time, before the Black Lives Matter movement. Her story quilts serve as today’s rallying cries for equality and change. 

The fabric for this mask comes from Ghana. Its vivid colors and patterns recall African tribal patterns and the colors in a Faith Ringgold painting. Wear it to protect yourself, others, and to be the change for equality.

MATERIALS: 100% Cotton, Pellon interfacing, polyester ribbon, coconut shell button.