Capturing the Flag

California has the Carlos Santana Arts Academy and a school auditorium named for comedian George Lopez. But we’re pretty sure there aren’t many schools named after visual artists. But then again, Faith Ringgold isn’t the average talent. At a new Miami Art Museum exhibit, discover why the Harlem native boasts not one but two schools named for her. Ringgold, a professor emeritus at the University of California, is best known as the foremother of the African-American story-quilt revival that blossomed in the ’70s. To celebrate her 80th birthday, she presents “American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Paintings of the 1960s,” featuring 60 works capturing one of our nation’s most turbulent eras. You’ll see her politically freighted canvases and posters, such as People’s Flag Show, crafted from bits of Old Glory. The piece was produced for an exhibition organized by Ringgold and two fellow artists in support of a gallerist who was arrested for exhibiting a sculpture protesting the Vietnam War. For her gesture of solidarity, Ringgold was consequently convicted for violating the Flag Protection Act of 1968. The sprawling show marks the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s landmark paintings and presents an unprecedented view of Ringgold’s arresting exploration of race, gender, and class.
Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m. Starts: Nov. 6. Continues through Jan. 1, 2011