Tar Beach #2 1990

Editor: This is Faith Ringgold's "Tar Beach #2" from 1990, made with mixed media. The quilt format feels really personal and domestic. I'm struck by how the cityscape is rendered so vividly, yet the figures introduce a dreamlike quality, particularly those flying over the buildings. What resonates most with you in this piece? Curator: The image speaks to layered cultural memory and the powerful symbolism embedded within seemingly simple scenes. Notice the compositional arrangement, how Ringgold juxtaposes the domestic sphere on the rooftop—that table laden with food, the figures playing cards—against the imposing cityscape. The rooftop becomes a "tar beach," a space of respite and community. How does this contrast shape your understanding? Editor: It’s like they're claiming the city, but from this very intimate vantage point, and literally flying above the economic constraints associated with actually owning real estate within it. Curator: Precisely! And observe the symbolic weight of the bridge, a visual metaphor for connection and aspiration. But consider the narrative inscribed across the sky, weaving personal story into the visual tapestry. Ringgold explores themes of freedom, aspiration, and the psychological landscape of growing up in Harlem. Do you see the quilting itself as significant? Editor: Absolutely, it transforms a personal narrative into something with deep cultural resonance. It elevates it, in a sense, like she is imbuing it with history, warmth, and legacy. I will never think of the city in quite the same way again. Curator: Exactly, Ringgold reclaims and reinvents the symbols around her through image and text, shaping the collective memory around them.