Ruth Waters in her studio

With great sadness we learned of the passing of PRS member Ruth Waters at age 88.

In addition to creating striking wood sculpture using hand tools, Ruth was a tireless community builder, always promoting sculpture and sculptors at the Peninsula Museum of Art, which she founded, and which in 2018 hosted the exhibition Sculpture Now: Works by Pacific Rim Sculptors, curated by Brigitte Micmacker of Sculpturesite Gallery (see this link).

Ruth worked tirelessly to support the arts: When the Peninsula Museum lost its building lease, Ruth investigated alternate venues and secured space at the The Shops at Tanforan, space 204, Burlingame, CA, for artists' work spaces and for exhibitions.

Read Ruth's own words ("Growing an Art Museum") as founder and former Executive Director of the Peninsula Museum of Art. Read the San Mateo Journal description of Ruth's life at this link. Also see Ruth's website, RuthWatersSculptor.com.

As those who knew her might expect, Ruth was playing tennis, installing artwork, and sculpting up until the very end. She is greatly missed.

Contact: Communications@PacificRimSculptors.org

Thank you to those who responded to the recent poll about the PRS website; your observations about what is most valued and your suggestions for improvement will help to guide our ongoing efforts to make the website more attractive for visitors and to better serve PRS members. 

Cynthia Handel, "Blue Swan", 2019, 8' x 4' x4', steel

Cynthia Handel’s sculpture Blue Swan is on view June 1 – Oct. 28, 2022, at Sierra Azul Nursery and Sculpture Garden (www.Sierrazul.com), 2660 E. Lake Ave. (Hwy. 152), Watsonville, CA.95076 (831-728-2532), open 10am to 5pm daily.  For more about Cynthia’s work: www.cynthishandel.com 

Cynthia Handel, "Blue Swan" (loaded in truck), 2019, 8' x 4' x4', steel

Brad Burkhart, "Maneki-Neko Oracle Mother", 2019, 14" x 19" x 4", high-fired clay relief

During July, Brad Burkhart’s artwork will appear in Local Visions, the 2022 Pajaro Valley Arts members' exhibition in Watsonville, CA. Visitors can experience Pajaro Valley's artistic culture while exploring the beautifully preserved, Victorian style building housing the PVA gallery. See https://pvarts.org/event/members-exhibit-local-visionsopening-reception/

Read more about Brad’s work “Maneki-Neko Oracle Mother” in the June edition of his "Sculpture of the Month" newsletter series here: https://bit.ly/SOM-June22. Subscribe for future editions and other news on his website: https://burkhart-sculptor.com. 

Paul Rieber, "Little Man", 2022, 20" x 10" x 4", carved oak wood

Paul Reiber’s work is in an exhibition titled The Art of Wood, at Highlight Gallery (thehighlightgallery.com), 10480 Kasten St., Mendocino, CA 95460, July 8 - August 2, 2022. This exhibition features works by 15 members of the Mendocino Coast Furnituremakers, a juried membership group.  For more on Paul’s work see  http://paulreiberwoodcarver.com

Lynne Todaro, "Tres", 2021, 18" x7" x 2", bronze relief sculpture

Lynne Todaro’s work was accepted into Emergence, a juried exhibition of metal art at the new Santa Cruz Gallery RREVV, 1349 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. The exhibition is July 1-29, 2022; gallery hours are Fridays and Saturdays 11-6, and Sundays 11-5. See www.rrevv.com

Lynne Todaro

Marguerite Elliot, "Where Have All the Birds Gone", 2021, 180" x 48" x 48",

powder coated steel, 23K gold leaf

Marguerite Elliot’s sculpture "Where Have All the Birds Gone" was selected for the Newport Beach Civic Center Sculpture Park Exhibition, Newport Beach, CA, June 25, 2022, to June 1, 2024. The sculptures selected for public vote were chosen by the City Arts Commission, curatorial panel members May Sun, freelance artist and professor at the California Institute of the Arts with a permanent collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and Brian Peterson, muralist, along with representatives from ArtsOC. See www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/library-services/cultural-arts/sculpture-in-civic-center-park-exhibition

Marguerite Elliot, "Where Have All the Birds Gone", 2021, 180" x 48" x 48", 

powder coated steel, 23K gold leaf, photo by Stephanie Moran

Marguerite Elliot, "Flidais: Protector of The Forests and All Wild Things", 2021, 108" x 36" x 36",

powder coat steel, 23K gold leaf, wire, photo by Stephanie Mohan

Also, Marguerite Elliot is a featured invited artist in The Wild Side: California Women Celebrate the Untamed, Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art (NCWCA) juried exhibition at Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA, June 18-August, 2022. The exhibition is juried by Elizabeth Addison and curated by Cynthia Brannvall. We all have a wild side, whether we stride boldly there or keep it under the radar. Women, traditionally, have been taught to keep their “wildness” under wraps - raucous, adventurous, risk-taking, bold and brave, sometimes licentious, or living outside traditional moral codes. The Wild Side celebrates the untamed. See www.arc-sf.com/the-wild-side.html and www.margueriteelliot.com 

One of the great benefits of ISC membership is having access to the “Opportunities” section. I have used the Opportunities listed in SCULPTURE for many years. 

When I first joined ISC in the 1990s, “Opportunities” were in an insert called “Insider”, a section only put into the magazines for ISC members.  

The “Insider” listed members’ exhibitions, awards, and publications as well as opportunities for sculptors such as Calls for Artists, Residencies, and Grants.  

I found a great opportunity for my first international artist-in-residency in the “Insider”: it was a small classified ad for an artist-in-residency at the Duntog Foundation, Baguio City in the Philippines. The ad called for an artist who used papermaking and fiber arts for sculpture and offered a 1-month residency. 

I wrote a brief application letter and sent it with my resume and a few photos of my work with handmade paper art installations that used weaving and textile techniques. I was surprised to receive a letter in the mail a few weeks later offering me the residency and also offering first-class air travel for me and my husband, along with accommodations, meals, and an opportunity to do large outdoor installations and learn about new papermaking fibers and techniques. 

It seemed too good to be true. After checking it out through other friends in the handmade paper community, I decided to go. For this January 1996 residency I left New York State with 3 feet of snow on the ground and arrived in the Philippines to tropical weather.  I made two large outdoor installations at the Duntog Foundation hilltop garden in Baguio City and explored using pineapple fiber, abaca (a type of banana), cogon grass and other plants to make handmade paper, as well as learning much about the culture and history of the Philippines. (See images below)

This great experience was the start of many international residencies for me, including three Fulbright awards (two in Taiwan and one in Turkey) and other residency grants around the world (Japan, Nepal, Brazil, Tanzania, Thailand, China, and Bali in Indonesia). Other international and local residencies followed. 

In 2021 I did an international artist-in-residency program with Haus zur Glocke Art Center, Steckborn, Switzerland, that became a virtual residence because the global Covid pandemic prevented travel Switzerland. I created an art installation in my Santa Rosa, CA studio and shared my process with the Swiss community via Zoom meetings, and I sent “Living Quilt for Steckborn” via mail with installation instructions for volunteers and staff in a Steckborn, Switzerland, city park. I participated via Zoom in the installation early one April morning. I received many photos from people in Steckborn showing the handmade paper quilt with seeds for wildflowers in the pulp as it transformed over time and bloomed with colorful wildflowers throughout the summer and fall. 

My first international residency in the Philippines also resulted in my writing a report for SCULPTURE magazine about my residency at the Duntog Foundation.  Since then I have continued to write articles and reviews for SCULPTURE as well as for other art magazines.  

It’s amazing what getting that first opportunity through the ISC can lead to! 

Jane Ingram Allen

Editor's Note: 

ISC members can check out the Opportunities in the International Sculpture Center website. The listings include sculpture-related public art projects, juried exhibitions, residencies, awards, grants, fellowships, studio rentals, studio exchanges, and much more. 

Just sign in to the website (www.sculpture.org) and select "Opportunities" from the Quick-links drop-down menu. There you can search by keywords, city, country, and a number of categories. Enjoy exploring, and may you find opportunities that open doors to even more exciting opportunities!

Jane Ingram Allen, "Spiral Shelter", 1996, 7' x 6' x 6', mixed media sculpture with bamboo,

handmade paper, sisal twine, dye, photo by Timothy S. Allen

Jane Ingram Allen making paper at Duntog Foundation, 1996, photo by Timothy S. Allen

Jane Ingram Allen, "Living Quilt for Steckborn", 2021, 8' x 10' x 1', installation of handmade paper

with seeds for wildflowers in the pulp, dye, thread, soil, boards,

photo courtesy of Haus zur Glocke, Steckborn, Switzerland

Jane Ingram Allen, "Living Quilt for Steckborn" (blooming in August 2021), 2021, 8' x 10' x 1',

installation of handmade paper with seeds for wildflowers in the pulp, dye, thread, soil, boards, 

photo courtesy of Haus zur Glocke, Steckborn, Switzerland