Artist Faith Ringgold is a professor, children’s book author and illustrator, and best known for her painted story quilts. She also helped choose the 2011 Art Portfolio Gold medalists as one of our 2011 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards jurors.

Faith Ringgold was born and raised in Harlem, NY. Her work with fabric and quilts was initially influenced by her mother, who was a fashion designer. View the video below to hear Faith speak about the quilt as an art form.

In addition to her famous quilts, Faith has written and illustrated a number of children’s books. Her first, “Tar Beach,” is a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration. Her quilt piece by the same name is part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s permanent collection. If you’re in the New York City area, you can view her 9/11 Peace Story Quilt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until January 22, 2012, which was made in collaboration with students ages 8 to 19. The three-panel piece expresses the significance of communicating across cultures. If you can’t see Faith’s work in person, make sure to head to your local library and take a look at one of her many books.