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My interest in traditional quilts began in my childhood as I watched my mother and aunts making the quilts that were used on our beds. I was then, and still am, mesmerized by the tiny bits of fabric that were sewn together in intricate designs. I began this phase of my work by making traditional bed quilts and the influence of this type of creativity is obvious in the present work. I respect and revere the tradition, but the reproduction of traditional work in today’s materials and with today’s tools doesn’t challenge me. I love fabric and it is important to me to use all of the little bits of the fabrics that are available to me because they are too beautiful to be left unused. Much as many sculptors and collagists work with found objects, I like to work with bits of fabric that are discarded by others, enabling me to build new materials. The depth and variation of color that I can achieve by this method pleases me and seems to work in much the same way as the painter’s brush strokes and shading of pigments. Also, putting bits of fabric together to form a whole is much like life. Each of us plays many roles in our lives and often our days and weeks seem fragmented and lacking cohesion. But at the end of the day or week, we can look back and see that the units fit together snugly and, if we are lucky we are proud of the life we have assembled. I think of my work as an assemblage of unrelated bits that can be manipulated into something meaningful for me. |
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About Ruth Carden |
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A native of rural Tennessee, Ruth attended the University of Tennessee as an undergraduate and graduate student emphasizing music, art history and sociology. In the early 1970’s she became affiliated with the Museums at Stony Brook, NY and the State University of New York-Stony Brook as an instructor and curator of a fine crafts gallery. Given the interest at the time in traditional crafts, she began teaching the craft of quiltmaking she had learned early in life. In 1976 Ruth accepted a position as administrator of the Creative Arts Programs at Princeton University in New Jersey and the focus of her textile work shifted from traditional to modern during her tenure in that position. Retiring from Princeton in 1997, Ruth moved with her husband to Amelia Island where she continues to work and teach from her studio. Ruth exhibits regularly and has had several one-person shows in the Lucas Gallery of Princeton University, most recently in October of 2004. Her work was shown in the Wilson Center for the Arts, Florida Community College, in May and June of 2002, and with the Cultural Council of Indian River County, Vero Beach, Florida, in July, 2006. One of her quilts was featured on the cover of ONTARIO REVIEW, Issue #46. She is a member of the Studio Art Quilts Associates, the Amelia Island Art Association, St. Augustine Art Association and exhibits often with these organizations. |
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Exhibitions |
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1976 - Faculty Group Exhibition, Museums at Stony Brook Craft Center, Stony Brook, NY 1995 – Soft Landings, Solo exhibition, The Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 1996 – Soft Landings 2, Solo exhibition, The Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 1999 – Breaking Free: Quilts and Fabric Collage, Solo exhibition, The Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 2002 – Pieces Too Small to Save, Solo exhibition, The Wilson Center for the Arts, Florida Community College, Jacksonville, FL 2004 – Provocative Pieces, Solo exhibition, The Lucas Gallery, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 2004 – Spring Fling, Group exhibition, Society of Collage Artists, The Wilson Center for the Arts, Florida Community College , Jacksonville, FL 2004 – Group exhibition, Society of Collage Artists, Iron Gate Gallery, Jacksonville, FL 2004 – Group exhibition, Fall Members show, St. Augustine Art Association, St. Augustine, FL 2005 – Spring Has Sprung, Group exhibition, Amelia Island Art Association, Amelia Island, FL 2005 – Group exhibition, Society of Collage Artists, Bungalow Gallery, Jacksonville, FL 2005 – Group exhibition, Spring Members show, St. Augustine Art Association, St. Augustine, FL 2005 – Island Livin’, Group exhibition, Amelia Island Art Association, Amelia Island, FL 2005 – Holidays, Black and White, Group exhibition, Amelia Island Art Association, Amelia Island, FL 2006 – Fiber Foolery, Solo exhibition, Indian River County Court House,
Cultural Council of Indian River County, Vero Beach, FL 2008 – Images in Fiber, Group exhibition, Fiber Arts Network, Jacksonville Public Library, Jacksonville, FL |
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