QUILT INDEX RECORD
12-8-5260
Who documented this quilt?
Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights; Black Diaspora Quilt History Project; Cuesta Benberry Collection
Where are the records for this quilt housed?
Michigan State University Museum
Michigan Quilt Project Number:
08.0079
If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:
2008:119.19
Object label:
Kiss 1, Kiss 2
Faith Ringgold
Englewood, New Jersey
1987
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2008:119.19
Essay:
Internationally known artist Faith Ringgold and quilt historian Cuesta Benberry were longtime friends. When Cuesta curated an exhibition of African American quilts for the St. Louis Art Museum she included a loaned Faith Ringgold quilt. Later, the Museum commissioned Ringgold to make a quilt for its collection. The Museum told Benberry that the commission was done in honor of her, as her exhibit had been the first African American quilt exhibit held at the museum.
When Ringgold later traveled to St. Louis, Benberry’s hometown, for the installation of the quilt she made in honor of St. Louis native Josephine Baker, she also brought this quilt as a surprise gift for Cuesta. Benberry said “It was truly a surprise, and a joyous one, too.”
Cuesta Benberry was one of the twentieth-century pioneers of research on American quiltmaking and was the pioneer of research on African American quiltmaking. She was a founding member of the American Quilt Study Group, was inducted into the Quilter’s Hall of Fame in 1983, was among the first honorees of Faith Ringgold’s Anyone Can Fly Foundation, and is a Quilt Treasure in the on-line multi-media project of Michigan State University Museum and the Quilt Alliance. In mid 2008, Michigan State University Museum was gifted with the extraordinary Cuesta Benberry African and African American Quilt and Quilt History Collection. A fundraising campaign is now underway to make this collection electronically accessible and to support research and educational use of the collection.
By Mary Worrall
Quilt's title:
Kiss 1, Kiss 2
Owner's name for the quilt:
from the Love Letter Series
When was the form filled out?
4/22/08
Quilt top made by:
Ringgold, Faith
Quilted by:
Ringgold, Faith
If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?
Received as a gift
Where the quilt was made, city:
Englewood
Where the quilt was made, state:
New Jersey (NJ)
Where the quilt was made, country:
United States
Time period:
1976-1999
When was the quilt finished?
1987
Why was the quilt made?
Art or personal expression; Gift or presentation
Details about why the quilt was made:
From Cuesta, "Faith and I have been friends for many years. When I curated an African American quilt exhibition for the St. Louis Art Museum, I had a "borrowed Faith Ringgold quilt" in it. Her quilt attracted a great deal of attention. The St. Louis Art M
Quilt is presently used as:
Museum collection
Quiltmaker's gender:
Female
Quiltmaker's city:
Englewood
Quiltmaker's state:
New Jersey (NJ)
Quiltmaker's country:
United States
Quiltmaker's birth date:
10/8/1930
Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:
African American
Quiltmaker's educational background:
MA. Honorary PhDs
Quiltmaker's occupation:
Professor of Art at the University of California, San Diego
Quiltmaker's father's name:
Jones, Sr., Andrew Louis
Quiltmaker's mother's name:
Jones, Willi Posey
Quiltmaker's mother's ethnic/tribal background:
African American
Quiltmaker's spouse's/spouses' and /or partner's/partners' name(s):
Wallace, Robert, Earl; Ringgold, Burdette
Number of children:
2
How many of the quiltmaker's children were girls?
2
Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?
Faith Ringgold organized a foundation called the "Anyone Can Fly Foundation," in Englewood, NJ, to encourage women to succeed. She is an artist of note whose work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Guggen
This is a:
Finished quilt
How wide is the quilt?
52"
How long is the quilt?
41 1/2"
Shape of edge:
Straight
Shape of corners:
Straight
What color is the quilt?
Beige or Tan; Gray; Pink; Red; Teal
Quilt's condition:
Very good/almost new
Type of inscription:
Signature; Date
What is inscribed on the quilt?
Faith Ringgold
What is the date inscribed on the quilt?
1987
Method used to make the inscription:
Ink
Location of inscription:
on back
Describe the quilt's layout:
Nontraditional or art
Number of quilt blocks:
2 medallions, 17" x 23 1/2", 18 hour glass blocks, 7" x 8 1/2"
Spacing of quilt blocks:
Side by side
Number of borders:
1
Describe the borders:
1 1/2" pieced stripes
Fiber types used to make the quilt top:
Cotton
Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:
Moire duck canvas upholstery weight cotton hand-dyed cotton fabrics
Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:
Machine Piecing
Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:
Ink drawing
Materials used to make the back:
Cotton
Description of the back:
Chintz
Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:
1
Describe the back:
Materials used in the quilt binding:
Cotton
Describe the binding:
Chintz
How is the binding made?
Back turned to front
What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?
half inch - one inch
What kind of filling is used in the quilt?
Polyester
How are the layers held together?
Machine quilting
Quilting designs used, overall motifs:
In-the-ditch
Where did the maker find their pattern?
Original to maker
Exhibitions where this quilt was displayed:
January - April 2009, Michigan Quilt Project Showcase, Michigan State University Museum.
Source of the information on this quilt:
MSU Museum employee
Ownership of this quilt is:
Public- Michigan State University Museum
Quilt owner's name:
Michigan State University Museum
Quilt owner's city:
East Lansing
Quilt owner's county:
Ingham
Quilt owner's state:
Michigan (MI)
Quilt owner's country:
United States
How was this quilt acquired?
Purchase
Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:
This quilt was collected by Cuesta Benberry to further her research on quiltmaking and/or African American quiltmaking. Her son donated the collection to the Michigan State University Museum when she passed away in 2007.
Access and copyright information:
Restricted
How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?
Made entire quilt
Who photographed this quilt?
Pearl Yee Wong
Copyright holder:
MSU Board of Trustees
Cite this Quilt
Ringgold, Fait. Kiss 1, Kiss 2. 1987. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection; Quilts and Human Rights; Black Diaspora Quilt History Project; Cuesta Benberry Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-5260. Accessed: 06/08/24
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