Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Ginny Ruffner

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.ruffne06
Creators:
Ruffner, Ginny
Riedel, Mija, 1958-
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Dates:
2006 September 13-14
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
36 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Ginny Ruffner conducted 2006 September 13-14, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home and studio, in Seattle, Washington.
Scope and Contents
Ruffner speaks of her new outdoor sculpture piece, "The Urban Garden," in Seattle, Washington; receiving her B.F.A. and M.F.A. in painting and drawing at the University of Georgia; developing an interest in glass after seeing Marcel Duchamp's, "The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even (Large Glass)"; spending five years learning lampworking as an apprentice/employee; teaching experiences at Pilchuck School of Glass; moving to Seattle, Washington from Atlanta, Georgia; reading as a strong influence; the significance of language and words; an interest in mathematic theories, particle physics, and cosmology; various series of artwork including Beauty, Aesthetic Engineering, Balance, and Patterns of Thought; plans for her three-part pop-up book about creativity, imagination, and wonder; travels to Japan, Italy, Australia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ireland, and France; universal and subjective concepts of beauty; her recovery from the accident she suffered in 1991; a change of perception following the accident; her dislike of labeling art as whimsical; the transformative effects of experiencing installation pieces; and exhibition and installation plans for the future. Ruffner also recalls Flora Mace, Joey Kirkpatrick, Deborah Dohne, Fred Tschida, Maurine Littleton, Tom Robbins, Alvy Ray Smith, George C. Scott, Mark Leach, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Ginny Ruffner (1952- ) is a glass artist from Seattle, Washington. Mija Riedel (1958- ) is a curator and writer, from San Francisco, California.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hr.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Philosophy Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Glass artists -- Washington (State) -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dohne, Deborah Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kirkpatrick, Joey Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Leach, Mark Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mace, Flora, 1949- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Robbins, Tom Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Littleton, Maurine Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smith, Alvy Ray Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tschida, Fred Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scott, George C., 1927-1999 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
University of Georgia -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pilchuck Glass Center (Stanwood, Wash.) -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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