Left: Image of Natelie’s card from her spring 2017 visit to the We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965 – 85 exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. Pictured: Faith Ringgold (right) and Michele Wallace (middle) at Art Workers Coalition Protest, Whitney Museum, 1971. Digital C-print. Photographed by Jan van Raay. Right: “Free, White and 21”, 1980 by Howardena Pindell from “We Wanted a Revolution, 1965–85”. Photograph courtesy of Brooklyn Museum.
“You can’t sit around waiting for somebody else to say who you are. You need to write it and paint it and do it. That’s where the art comes from, it’s a visual image of who you are. That’s the power of being an artist.” ― Faith Ringgold
Originally exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum from April through September of 2017, We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965 – 85, “examin[ed] the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic priorities of women of color during the emergence of second-wave feminism.” These womens’ unique perspectives on all spheres of society resulted in groundbreaking, thought-provoking, and timeless works of art. From quilters to painters and all disciplines in between, these artists have been endless sources of inspiration to the entire Alabama Chanin team. This week we explore the life and works of just a few of the many women featured in We Wanted a Revolution.
“We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85” at the Brooklyn Museum
“The Brooklyn Museum’s History of Black Radical Women Draws Its Power From the Grassroots”
Initiation, Liberia by Loïs Mailou Jones
“How Carrie Mae Weems Rewrote the Rules of Image-Making”
“Faith Ringgold: Artist & Activist”
“The Enduring Power of Barbara Chase-Riboud’s Malcom X Sculptures”
“Shopping Bag Spirits and Freeway Fetishes,” directed by Barbara McCullough
In Alabama: Lynthia Edwards + The Rosa Parks Quilt
Left: “Untitled”, ca. 1965; Right: “Untitled”, ca. 1970 by Annie Mae Young from The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, 2002 by William Arnett, Alvia Wardlaw, Jane Livingston, and John Beasley (pages 102–103).
@Alabama Chanin
Explore the recently updated Leisure Collection.
@The School of Making
Our #YearOfColor continues with inspiration from Natalie and new fabrics—Abstract Peacock Printed Jersey, Lilac Organic Medium-weight Cotton Jersey, and an assortment of colors of Lightweight Organic Cotton Jersey, all available by the yard.