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The world of African American art lost a champion after the passing of multimedia artist Faith Ringgold on April 12. Born in Harlem, Ringgold delved into themes of gender, race, and class through painting, sculpture, and performance art, but was most well-known for her intricate and colorful story quilts – oversize canvases painted with narrative scenes of everyday life in Black America.

In addition to displays of her work across various museums and public spaces around the world, Ringgold’s home and studio in Englewood, New Jersey became a vault of artistic treasures. In 2022, she and her daughters, Michele and Barbara Wallace, and their Anyone Can Fly Foundation received a $75,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to transform Ringgold’s home and studio into a space to showcase the work of artists of the African diaspora from the 18th century onward. It was a rare opportunity for the fund to preserve a home and studio in partnership with an artist during their lifetime.

“Faith Ringgold showed incredible foresight by recognizing the need to preserve her artistic legacy for future generations,” said Lawana Holland-Moore, director of fellowships and interpretative strategies for the Action Fund. “It is rare to have the artist themselves weighing in on planning for what that vision could look like.”

The preservation of Ringgold’s home and studio has always been with the intention for it to serve as inspiration for future generations of creatives. Since receiving the grant from the Action Fund, Ringgold’s family has continued its mission to transform the home into a center for research, education, exhibitions, and cultural programming, ensuring that it will be the cornerstone of her artistic legacy. The Action Fund is looking forward to continuing to bring Ringgold’s vision to life.

"It was an honor to work with Faith Ringgold and her family to develop a plan for protecting her incredible legacy before her passing,” said Brent Leggs, executive director of the Action Fund and senior vice president at the National Trust. “While she is no longer with us, we are thankful to support ongoing efforts to preserve her memory, home, and studio and the incredible works she produced there.”

On June 15, 2021, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced that she has awarded a grant of $20 million to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The National Trust is one of 286 organizations across the country and around the globe that will receive a total of $2.7 billion in grants from Ms. Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett.

“This inspiring gift,” said Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the Action Fund, “is an affirmation that our work to elevate the significance of Black culture in American history matters, and that preservation of historic landmarks is a form of equity. We are grateful to Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett for their investment, which scales up our commitment to preserve and tell overlooked stories of African American achievement that are fundamental to the nation itself.”

Read the press release to learn more, and dive deeper into the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund here.

In the February 2021 issue of Opera News, learn more about Mary Cardwell Dawson, the founder of the longest-running, all-Black opera company in the United States, and the place where her vision took shape: the National Negro Opera Company house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Understanding the current condition of the National Negro Opera Company house is critical at this moment. Standing vacant for decades, the building has deteriorated as a result of weather exposure and vandalism, prompting its listing on the 2020 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

The National Trust has partnered with the NNOC’s owner, Jonnet Solomon, the Young Preservationists Association (YPA), and Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to help save the building. Together they are utilizing a $4,000 Intervention Fund grant awarded by the National Trust to assess the existing building conditions and prepare a report with recommendations and cost estimates for emergency stabilization.

In a Philadelphia Inquirer article from January 27, 2021, learn more about Philadelphia's efforts to use preservation to promote equity for Black communities.

Philadelphia was one of 10 cities nationwide that the National Trust explored in its October 2020 report, "Preserving African American Places: Growing Preservation's Potential as a Path for Equity." Download the report and its case studies here.

Brent Leggs, executive director of the National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, has published a powerful op-ed in The Art Newspaper titled, "US needs monuments celebrating African American history, not Confederate statues."

Leggs' article from July 3, 2020, outlines how "telling America’s overlooked stories is fundamental to building a true national identity." He advocates for acknowledging the unvarnished history behind Confederate monuments and taking the opportunity to expand the conversation in bold, more inclusive ways. Of note:

"How should America preserve Confederate monuments so that we never forget their meaning and harm? What’s the role of the African American community, civic leaders, preservationists, artists and funders to envision landscapes of understanding and reconciliation? The purpose of preservation practice is not to stop change, but to offer tools that help a society manage change in ways that do not disconnect it from the legacy of its past. Done right, historic places can foster real healing, true equity and a validation of all Americans and their real history."

Read Leggs' full essay to learn more about the Action Fund; sites of Black resilience, activism, and achievement; and possible approaches that "represent the best in the human experience."

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See also:

• National Trust for Historic Preservation Statement on Confederate Monuments