Ben
Artist: Faith Ringgold (American, born 1930)
Date: about 1978
Dimensions:
39 × 12 × 12 in. (99.1 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm)
Medium: Soft sculpture/mixed media
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Barbara Sunderman Hoerner
Object number: 2012.12
Label Text:A precursor to her celebrated Story Quilts, Faith Ringgold’s soft sculptures are hand-stitched together, incorporating printed fabric and a patchwork of narrative details. In the soft sculpture Ben, racial and socioeconomic stereotypes abound. With tattered clothing, worn shoes, bags of belongings slung over his shoulders, an empty bottle of liquor, and pocket change in hand, we are to understand Ben as an unhoused man who embodies the turbulent atmosphere of the 1970s.
Push-back buttons indicate progressive political views, Black feminist support, and countercultural values. The U.S. and Confederate flags are both tied to his body, though not in a reverential way. A United States Air Forces sweetheart patch (worn by civilians with loved ones who served in World War II) indicates that Ben is from a military family. To the right of this patch, a National Defense Service Medal Ribbon—given to those who actively served in Vietnam—strongly suggests that Ben is himself a veteran. He likely has not found the homecoming he was hoping for due to the disillusionment and anti-war sentiments of many Americans of the period, further complicated by the racism Black soldiers faced both on the frontlines and back at home. In response, he seems to have turned to reforming the political system through progressive action.
Push-back buttons indicate progressive political views, Black feminist support, and countercultural values. The U.S. and Confederate flags are both tied to his body, though not in a reverential way. A United States Air Forces sweetheart patch (worn by civilians with loved ones who served in World War II) indicates that Ben is from a military family. To the right of this patch, a National Defense Service Medal Ribbon—given to those who actively served in Vietnam—strongly suggests that Ben is himself a veteran. He likely has not found the homecoming he was hoping for due to the disillusionment and anti-war sentiments of many Americans of the period, further complicated by the racism Black soldiers faced both on the frontlines and back at home. In response, he seems to have turned to reforming the political system through progressive action.
DescriptionRepresentation of a bearded African-American male
Not on view
In Collection(s)