Tar Beach 2 Jigsaw Puzzle

On a warm Harlem night, a family gathers on their apartment rooftop for a summer dinner under the stars. In New York City, where green space was scarce and summer heat was relentless, residents transformed their flat, tar-covered rooftops into open-air gathering places they affectionately called "tar beach." Children fly across a glittering skyline. The George Washington Bridge stretches majestically through a cityscape of red, gold, and green buildings. And a young girl named Cassie Louise Lightfoot stands atop the tallest building in the neighborhood, claiming everything she can see. This is the world of Faith Ringgold's "Tar Beach 2," where imagination transforms a humble rooftop into a launching pad for boundless dreams.

Tar Beach 2 is a silk-screened story quilt created in 1990 during Ringgold's residency at The Fabric Workshop in Philadelphia. It is part of a limited edition of 24, each printed on silk dupioni with unique pieced fabric borders selected by the artist. The quilt draws from Ringgold's childhood memories of summertime dinners on the rooftop of her Harlem apartment building, a gathering place neighborhood families called "tar beach." It is a variation on the original Tar Beach story quilt (1988), now in the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which Ringgold adapted into her beloved 1991 children's book of the same name. The book won over 20 awards, including the Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration. Inspired by African and African American storytelling traditions, the story quilt format combines narrative imagery with handwritten text, giving visual and written permanence to what might otherwise remain an oral tradition. By centering her art on textile and quilting, Ringgold challenged the art world's long-held biases toward painting and sculpture, elevating practices rooted in African American women's communal creativity to their rightful place in the fine art canon.

Faith Ringgold (1930–2024) was a painter, sculptor, activist, educator, and author who spent seven decades shaping the landscape of American art. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, she earned her degrees from City College of New York and went on to become Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego. Ringgold received over 80 awards and honors throughout her career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Awards, and 23 honorary doctorates. Her work resides in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and dozens of other institutions worldwide. In 2022, the New Museum in New York mounted a major retrospective of her work, "Faith Ringgold: American People," which traveled to the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Musée Picasso in Paris, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

This 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle brings Ringgold's masterwork to life on premium 250-GSM matte art paper, reproducing the quilt's intricate patchwork borders, handwritten narrative text, and vibrant cityscape with crisp detail and zero glare. Each ribbon-cut piece is crafted from thick recycled paperboard for a snug, satisfying fit with minimal dust. The completed puzzle measures 25 x 25 inches, forming a striking square display piece that captures the full beauty of Ringgold's quilted borders and is worthy of framing.

Whether you're introducing a new generation to Cassie's story or revisiting a beloved piece of American art history, this puzzle invites you to fly among the stars, piece by piece.

Jigsaw puzzles offer a perfect escape from digital overwhelm while providing numerous mental wellness benefits. The focused concentration naturally reduces stress and anxiety while improving cognitive function and problem-solving skills. Share the experience with family and friends to create lasting memories through collaborative achievement. Once completed, your 24x28-inch masterpiece can be framed as striking wall art, gifted as a unique handmade present, or carefully disassembled for future enjoyment. Many puzzle enthusiasts use puzzle glue for permanent display or trade completed works with fellow collectors.