To Be Or Not To Be Free
Artist/Maker
Faith Ringgold
(American, 1930–2024)
Date2014
MediumColor lithograph
DimensionsImage: 30 1/8 × 22 3/8 in. (76.5 × 56.8 cm)
Credit LinePaul B. Arnold Memorial Art Acquisition Fund
Edition52/60
Object number2016.7
Status
Not on viewPart of the series Coming to Jones Road, this print, modeled after a quilt, shows a
group of travelers huddled close as they move through a dense forest, going north to
freedom. The surrounding text refers to the dream of escaping slavery, and how it was
realized through many hardships. The series was created in part as the artist’s
response to a move she made from Harlem, New York, to Englewood, New Jersey. Not
feeling connected to this new home, she looked to the history of the area, sharing
stories of those who had traveled through it on the Underground Railroad.
Provenance(Segura Arts Studio, South Bend, IN); purchased 2016 by Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OHExhibition History
New Acquisitions and Old Friends
- Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 3, 2021 - June 12, 2022 )
Collections
- Modern & Contemporary
The AMAM continually researches its collection and updates its records with new findings.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
We welcome additional information and suggestions for improvement. Please email us at AMAMcurator@oberlin.edu.
postmarked July 4, 1958
postmarked February 24, 1957