Name: Life-size Cassie From Tar Beach
Made by and When: Faith Ringgold, 1994
Material: Cloth, yarn, polyester fibers, polyester pellets
Marks: (Cloth body tag) CASSIE FROM TAR BEACH / ©1994, 1991 FAITH RINGGOLD / MADE IN CHINA / ALL NEW MATERIALS / (The cloth body tag includes materials and washing instructions.)
Height: Approximately 49 inches tall
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Black yarn hair is styled in three braids adorned with red ribbons; has hand-drawn (by Faith Ringgold), screen-painted facial features with black eyes and a smiling mouth with pink lip color. Stuffed cloth ears are attached to the head.
Clothes: Cassie wears a removable yellow dress of red-paint-stroke-printed fabric; the feet are bare.
Other: Cassie From Tar Beach is a three-dimensional, life-size soft sculpture of the protagonist in the book of the same name written by the late Faith Ringgold. In addition to her published works, Faith Ringgold was an award-winning mixed media artist and human-rights activist. Determined to be rare, this life-size doll’s produced quantity is unknown. Ringgold gave one to Chelsea Clinton in 1994. She is seen in a photograph in her home with one in the background. A 13-inch Cassie doll with a mini version of the Cassie From Tar Beach book was also released in 1994. Derek and Lynn Schultz own the life-size soft-sculptured doll in this installation.
Gallery (Photographs of the soft-sculptured doll are courtesy of Derek and Lynn Schultz.)
“Anyone can fly; all you gotta do is try.”—Faith Ringgold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6DNjf4zUyY
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