Visual Culture Database Form ARTE 344/544 Fall 2023

Provider: BellaRosa Deiure

VCDB #:
1
Big Idea/Subject:
Suffering and History
Major Theme:
The Systemic and Historic
Cultural Background of
Black Americans
Medium/ Size:
Painted story quilt, acrylic
on canvas with pieced fabric
border
74 1/2 x 79 1/2 in. (189.23
x 201.93 cm.)
Visual Components:
Color, Emphasis, Space,
Movement, Repetition,
Rhythm, Unity, Contrast
Category:
Fine Arts
Pop art
Pop culture
Non-art
Authorship: Faith Ringgold
Title of work: We Came to America
Location of work: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
Description: In the foreground of the painting, we see a Statue of Liberty that has
been altered to appear with more Afrocentric features including her
hair, facial features, and skin color. Instead of holding a book in her left
hand, she holds a naked baby who is also depicted with a darker
complexion implying African descent. In her right hand, she holds the
same torch as the true Statue of Liberty, but this torch has a smoke
plume that leads to the background of the painting where a slave ship is
seen up in flames. Also, in the foreground is either a setting or rising
sun. The waters between the horizon line and the Statue of Liberty are
very choppy and chaotic and are filled with the faces and figures of
what can be assumed to be West African people who were being
chartered across the Atlantic to be sold as slaves in the U.S. or
Caribbean. These African people are shown naked, floating in the ocean,
with frantic and dramatic expressions on their faces. Their limbs flail in
the air and in dynamic positions as if they are moving in urgent and
energized motions. The color of their skin and hair is very dark almost
near black and their eyes and teeth are pure white. The colors of the
water and sky are painted in blues and purples with hints of pink to
show the reflection of either the fires from the ship or from the half sun
on the horizon. The colors of the sun (yellow and red), the ship (brown,
yellow and red), and the Statue of Liberty (green, black, and grey) are in
contrast with the surrounding space (blue, purple, pink, and black). The
 quilted border around the painting also uses contrasting colors to the
majority of the more cool colored waters and instead uses more of the
reds, yellows, and greens seen in the three objects previously
mentioned that also contrast the background (the Sun, the Statue of
Liberty, and the burning slave ship).
Interpretation: The meaning behind the depicted version of the Statue of Liberty seen
in this painting can be a symbol for several interpretations. The
interpretation that struck the strongest chord is that it represents the
journey and strife of the African women slaves and the pillar that is
Black American mothers in Black American culture. The connection and
relationship between the history of female African slaves and the
backbone that is the Black mother in modern day of Black culture is
intrinsic. Her torch’s plume follows the viewer’s eye across the top of
the painting and into the background where the audience can gain
some context for the event taking place in the scene as it leads to the
burning ship sinking. With the figures in the water being depicted
naked, with expressively frightened expressions, and in an almost
exaggerated pigmentation of black skin, in combination with the
burning ship, the waters, and the symbolic Black Statue of Liberty it is
easy to draw the connection that the image is depicting a slave charter
shipwreck. The way the figures are shown with their hands waving
above their heads and their mouths and eyes wide open as if screaming
for help right in front of this Black Statue of Liberty brings this
suggestion that they’re begging for help from this pillar of freedom that
represents the land of the free. It almost begs the audience to
remember the origins of Black Freedom and those who paved the path
to get those African slaves to be free citizens of America. The
symbolism of the hyperpigmentation and exaggerated “blackness” of
the figures nods to the racist depictions of Black people in media and
laws of early America and nods to the Jim Crow narrative and depiction
of Black Americans which also adds an additional layer to the history of
the piece by layering more of the journey to freedom of Black citizens
and the awful treatment they received as well as the struggle of
discrimination and achieving equality. Their exaggerated white eyes
and teeth also help to emphasize their exaggerated expression of fear
by having that stark contrast. The choppy waters and the cooler toned
colors both add to the feel of the piece being frantic, chaotic, and
dramatic. The texture and motion it gives to the piece is impactful and
symbolic. The use of color in this piece is very well applied and helps
key symbols stand out and be emphases that impact the narrative. The
sun uses warmer tones and his a half sun. The half sun can be a dual-
symbolism depending on perspective. It could be a rising Sun on the
new era of Black culture and freedom or a setting Sun on the history of
mistreatment and African Slavery. The quilted border uses the colors of
the three emphases (red, yellow, brown, and green) which really
creates a sense of unity but also allows the painting to stand out as the
majority is in cooler tones and truly pops out against the warmer
border.
Use in Teaching(Lesson This piece could be used to teach a lesson about creating a piece of art
Idea and medium) that reinterprets a commonly known visual culture object to be
representative of the students’ personal identities, culture, or
 expression. The altering of the Statue of Liberty to have a new meaning
relating to slavery and Black culture was a great example of using visual
culture in art for symbolism and added emphasis and meaning to a
piece. Everyone knows the Statue of Liberty and its meaning of
freedom, therefore adding the narrative of slavery and Black culture to
the Statue of Liberty changes its significance while still allowing the
viewer to understand the meaning of the change as it pertains to their
known knowledge of the visual culture object. This potential lesson can
be very adaptive and customizable for every student as it can be done
digitally, through collage, through painting, drawing, sculpting, or use of
found objects.
3-5 Guiding Questions:  What is the meaning of the Statue of Liberty?
 What is different about this Statue of Liberty in relation to the
real one?
 Why might Ringgold have made those changes?
 What is the significance of slavery to Black culture?
 How does this version of the Statue of Liberty speak more
directly to Black or African Americans?
Image Source (url): https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection/item/we-came-america-
series-american-collection