Ruth Cravath
Ruth Cravath | |
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File:Ruth Cravath, sculptor.jpeg Ruth Cravath in 1955 Photo by Imogen Cunningham | |
Born | Ruth Barrows Cravath January 23, 1902 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | November 30, 1986 Poulsbo, Washington, U.S. | (aged 84)
Nationality | American |
Education | California School of Fine Arts |
Spouse | Sam Bell Wakefield III (m. 1928–?) |
Ruth Wakefield Cravath (1902–1986) was an American stonework artist and arts educator, specifically known for her public sculptures, busts and bas-reliefs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Biography[edit]
Ruth Barrows Cravath[1] was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 23, 1902[2] to Ruth Myra Rew and James Raney Cravath.[3][4]
In high school Cravath attended summer art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago.[5][6] Cravath attended college at Grinnell College in Iowa for one year before moving to California in 1921 to join her family.[5] She attended California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and studied with Beniamino Bufano and Ralph Stackpole.[7] She learned "cut direct" sculpting techniques from Stackpole.[4] In 1926 she started teaching at the California School of Fine Arts, where some of her students being artists, Jacques Schnier and Raymond Puccinelli.[8] In the same year, she co-founded the San Francisco Summer Art School for Children with Marian Trace. In 1928 she married Sam Bell Wakefield III.[7]
Cravath was commissioned to create three statues for the north court of the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, GGIE, designed by Timothy L. Pflueger.[4][9] Her three statues surrounded the "Fountain of Western Waters" in the "Court of Pacifica" area of the Exposition and included a large sculpture named "Alaskan boy spearing a fish".[9]
Her brother Austin Cravath married the artist Dorothy Wagner Puccinelli in 1941.[10] In 1945, Cravath began teaching art at Mills College in Oakland.[7]
Cravath died on November 30, 1986 in Poulsbo, Washington at the age of 84.[6][11]
Public works[edit]
Cravath's best known work in the San Francisco Bay Area was her 27-foot-tall, cast-concrete and steel-reinforced statue of St. Francis that stood at the entrance of Candlestick Park from 1973 until 2015.[12][13]
San Francisco Bay Area[edit]
- 1929, Fountain in Tennessee Marble, Emanu-El Sisterhood Residency (now called San Francisco Zen Center, the fountain has been removed), San Francisco[4][14][15]
- 1930, Bar Maid, The Pacific Stock Exchange Lunch Club (now called The City Club), San Francisco[4]
- 1930, Laborers, The Pacific Stock Exchange Lunch Club (now called The City Club), San Francisco[16]
- Athletic Award Tablet, Tamalpais School (now called Marin Academy), San Rafael[4]
- William Award (bronze tablet), Tamalpais School (now called Marin Academy), San Rafael[4]
- St. Francis, Candlestick Park, San Francisco (in the process of being relocated by 2018)[17]
References[edit]
- ^ "Cravath, Ruth Barrows". medalartists.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "New Deal/W.P.A. Artist Biographies". WPAmurals.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "In Focus: f/64 and the Bay Area" (PDF). Mills College Art Museum, Back Gallery. 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hailey, Gene; California Art Research Project (Volume 16) (1936-01-01). California Art Research: Margaret Bruton, Esther Bruton, Helen Bruton, Helen Forbes, Edith Hamlin, Ruth Barrows Cravath. San Francisco, Calif. : [s.n.]
- ^ a b "Ruth Cravath". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ a b "Cary Grant, 82, one of Hollywood's most popular and..." Chicago Tribune. 1986-12-07. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ a b c "Artwork at Candlestick Park, Ruth Wakefield Cravath". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Ruth Cravath (1902-1986)". California Art Research Archive. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ a b "Photo: AAK-0326". San Francisco Public Library. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Dorothy Puccinelli". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "A Leading San Francisco..." Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Statue of Limitations". Curbed SF. 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "St. Francis Statue at Candlestick Soon to Be Homeless". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Landmarks of California, San Francisco Zen Center". Julia Morgan 2012 Festival. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ^ Wilson, Mark Anthony (2012). Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty. Gibbs Smith. p. 31. ISBN 978-1423636540.
- ^ "History". The City Club of San Francisco. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
- ^ "Candlestick Park's saint statue going on hiatus in Oakland". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
External links[edit]
- Ruth Cravath collection at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
- Oral history interview with Ruth Cravath from 1965, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
- Articles with missing files
- Articles without Wikidata item
- Articles with hCards
- AC with 0 elements
- 1902 births
- 1986 deaths
- San Francisco Art Institute alumni
- San Francisco Art Institute faculty
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni
- Mills College faculty
- Artists from San Francisco
- Grinnell College alumni