Ringgold’s special blend of artistry combines painting, quilted fabric and storytelling with historical and cultural commentary that speaks to women and minority populations in particular, and addresses gender and culture issues that are universal in scope.

She will speak at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 1, in Northside Hall, Room 158. Her visit to South Bend will be the highlight of the conference titled, "Educating Women for the New Millennium: from Childhood to Adulthood."

Ringgold, a fine arts professor at the University of California-San Diego, is also the author of children’s books and won the prestigious Caldecott Prize for her 1991 Tar Beach, the story of an 8-year-old girl who dreams her dreams atop the asphalt rooftop of her family’s Harlem apartment.

More than 28 sessions are scheduled at the IUSB event, including a Ringgold book-signing session and a hands-on story quilt art activity for children in grades 2-6.

Rebecca Torstrick, chair of the conference and an IUSB anthropology professor, said that plans for the conference began with a group of faculty from women’s studies and fine arts two years ago. What began modestly as not much more than a brown bag session grew to incorporate plans for a conference and an IUSB "Millennial Quilt." Ringgold "was the person who seemed to best represent the spirit of the initial project," Torstrick said.

When the IUSB Millennial Quilt is completed, it will contain the artistry of those with a stake in the history and future of the campus. Both individuals and groups have been asked to create quilt blocks that reflect a personal or communal view of the importance of a university education.

The spring conference, organized by IUSB faculty from all divisions and departments, has drawn community support from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, the Junior League of South Bend and the Indiana Humanities Council.

"Three separate sessions I am especially happy that we can offer will focus on education’s impact on African-American, Hispanic and South Asian women," Torstrick said. These will be "Love and the Black Woman," moderated by Bettye Green of the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center; "Raising the Self-Esteem of Young Latinas," moderated by Christina Rios, an IUSB education professor, and Rita Vega, president of the IUSB Latino Student Union; and "Educational Status of Asian Indian Women in India and the United States," moderated by Sushmita Hodges, an IUSB historian. Other topics include: "Are ‘Women’s Studies’ Dead? Revitalizing the Education of Women on College Campuses" and "Gender or Personality? Breaking Gender Stereotypes by Examining Personality Types."

All sessions are free. For more information or a form to pre-register, call the IUSB Women’s Studies office at 219-237-4494 or keep tabs on this Web site:

http://www.iusb.edu/~quilts/lectures.htm

Check out Ringgold’s work and the schedule for the Louvre exhibition sites through this Web site:

http://www.artincontext.org/artist/ringgold/default.htm