Paint Me a Road Out of Here

Filled with moments of heartache, humor, and triumph, Paint Me a Road Out of Here is the moving story of the life and work of the late artist Faith Ringgold and the troubled journey of her painting For the Women’s House from inside a women’s prison on Rikers Island to the walls of the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The work was created in 1971 for the women incarcerated in Rikers but was made more and more inaccessible over the years—it was even painted over at one point—until a concerned and determined group including Ringgold liberated it. The film also captures how art can be a source of resilience in telling the story of Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, a formerly incarcerated person who is now an award-winning, multidisciplinary artist. Baxter creates work that speaks to women who are facing the same life challenges that she did. A conversation with Baxter and Gund follows the screening. (90 mins., DCP)

After the screening, director Catherine Gund and artist Mary Baxter will join Returning Artists Guild cofounders Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas in conversation about the role of the arts as a driver of justice and healing. This discussion will be facilitated by the Wexner Center's Director of Art & Resilience Tracie McCambridge.