The Art
 
Tar Beach is the first of five quilts in a series called The Woman on a Bridge. The text that is painted onto the fabric is a blend of autobiography and fiction. It tells the dreamy story of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot and her memories of evenings with her family and friends on the roof of her apartment building. What do you suppose the title Tar Beach refers to? The rooftop of Cassie Louise's apartment is made of asphalt, or tar.
 
Like all the quilts in this series, the story is essentially one of freedom. In this case, it is the freedom of flying, of going anywhere, any time, forever. "Flying" was also the term applied to slaves escaping from their masters to freedom; the artist's great-great-grandmother had been a slave.
 
Young Cassie is seen both lying on a mattress with her little brother, Bebe, and soaring near the Washington Bridge, high over Harlem and New York City. Cassie's parents are playing cards with neighbors. A picnic dinner waits invitingly on a table in the corner. What clues are there as to the time of year? Summer clothing, watermelon in season; plants left outside overnight.
 
The picture is painted on a large piece of cloth with acrylic paints. Multicolored patchwork strips and squares of printed fabric surround the scene, a soft frame that "protects" the memory. There is as much life in this rich border as in the painting itself.
 
Source: Lauren Marks, Take 5 Art Prints-Urban Environments Crystal Productions
 
Vocabulary
 
Asphalt - a dark substance similar to tar, found in various parts of the world or obtained by refining petroleum. It is used to seal roofs and make them waterproof. The tar beach in the painting is on a rooftop of an apartment house.

Harlem - a part of New York City in northern Manhattan. The majority of the population is African-American.

Quilt - a cover for a bed, usually made of two pieces of cloth with a soft pad between, held in place by stitching.
 
Body of the Lesson/Instruction
 
Ask the students the question: What is a narrative writing? (a series of events or actions that tells what happened; the first sentence/paragraph arouses your curiosity/the final sentence supports the impression created throughout the paragraph; the events that follow are usually in chronological order). Write down student responses on the chalkboard or overhead.
 
Display the reproduction and book of Tar Beach. Tell students: Today we will look at a corresponding artwork and a book by Faith Ringgold and talk about the narrative or story that it tells. Then, to complete the lesson, you will draw a picture and write a story that tells about an event and place you could "fly to" in your imagination to express a special time that you will always remember.
 
Direct student attention to the print and ask students to describe what they see and what the work might be about. Explain that Faith Ringgold is an African American artist who began painting and writing on fabric or canvas to express her ideas and emotions. The quilt of Tar Beach was first intended to be solely a work of art and it existed before the book. The book was planned later and consisted of images photographed from the quilt (briefly show the book).
 
Encourage students to discuss the print using the 5-W questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Write responses or questions raised by the students on the chalkboard or overhead projector. Explain that the little girl in the story is named Cassie Louise Lightfoot and that she and her family are relaxing on a "tar beach," the asphalt-covered roof of their apartment building (if you can locate a piece of asphalt, pass it around).
 
Questions to Consider

• What was the original purpose of Tar Beach? (solely as an artwork) What was its second purpose? (as the illustrations in a book) Which is more valuable as a work of art? Why?
  
• What culture, place, and time does Tar Beach depict? (African American, Harlem, New York, mid-1900s)
  
• Whose story did Faith Ringgold tell in Tar Beach? (her own)
  
• What do you think is the main idea or meaning? (It is about the freedom of flying, of going anywhere, any time)
  
• Why is it so important to the artist to paint the images and to write the text?(by adding the written words of a story with the image, the artist knewthat the story would remain unchanged, "intact, unaltered, and pure)
  
• Why is the idea of flying so important to Tar Beach? (the freedom of flying, of going anywhere, any time is to be treasured; also "flying" was a term in the past applied to slaves escaping to freedom; Ringgold's great-great-grandmother had been a slave)
  
• Ringgold's mother was a seamstress and fashion designer. How might that have affected Ringgold's artwork?
  
• Why do you think so many people warmly respond to Tar Beach?
  
• Does it remind you of any experiences in your own life? If so, what are they?
  
• Why do you think it was important to Faith Ringgold  that she both illustrate and write Tar Beach? How might it have been different if she had shared the creation of the book with another person (either author or artist)?

Also view a short portion of the video on Tar Beach. Ask students to watch carefully to see if the video answers any of their questions. Briefly discuss the video, then read pages 1-9 of the story aloud to the class. Tell students: The girl in the story loves to use her imagination. One of the ways that she uses her imagination is "to fly". What if you could fly? Close your eyes and imagine where you would fly that would feel safe and special to you. What would you do and where would you go? What does it look like? Why is it so special you would always remember what happened? You are going to make a paper quilt square about a place special to you.
 
Give students each a 12" x 12" square of white paper, pencils, and rulers. Lead students through the steps of dividing their squares; model and explain as you demonstrate. Students should measure and draw a grid of 3" squares around the edge of the paper. This marks off a "frame" for a central drawing. Ask students to draw a picture in the center to show themselves and where they would fly. Words, too, may be added. In the border squares have students draw and color designs like patterned fabric (words could also be incorporated with pictures).
 
When the story squares are complete, ask students to write an accompanying paragraph about their stories. Have them write a title that expresses the main idea and ask them to use the 5-W's to structure their writings. (Remind students to write an interesting first sentence and final sentence.)
 
Summary and Closure
 
Invite students to explain their completed work with the class as time permits. Save the work to display at the end of the unit.
 
Assessment
 
See assessment rubric at end of unit overview.
 
Extensions/Interdisciplinary Connections

• Bring actual quilts or quilt squares to class so that students can see what they are and how they are made.
  
• Ask a quilter from a local organization to demonstrate quilting for your class.
  
• Have students use draw and paint programs to create their squares on the computer and post them on the school's web site.
  
• Use the "frequently asked questions" from Ringgold's web site in discussion.
  
• Have students illustrate Story Time, a story by Faith Ringgold from her web site.
  
• As a class, write an email to Faith Ringgold about what you think about her work.