Linda Ridgway facts for kids

Linda Ridgway (born in 1947) is an American artist. She lives and works in Dallas, Texas. Linda Ridgway is famous for her sculptures and printmaking. Her art often explores ideas about being a woman, family traditions, and history. She is especially known for her beautiful bronze artworks that hang on walls.

Early Life and Education

Linda Ridgway was born in a town called Jeffersonville, Indiana. She studied art at college. She earned a special art degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), from the Louisville School of Art. Later, she earned another advanced art degree, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA), from Tulane University.

Art Style and Inspiration

Linda Ridgway's art is very unique. One of her famous pieces is called how did you dare. This artwork was inspired by the classic story Alice in Wonderland. She made a whole series of prints based on this story.

Linda Ridgway has described her art as "sculpted paper." She sometimes adds quotes to her work. For example, she used the phrase "how do you dare" from William Shakespeare. She also created art using prints and stains from young girls' dresses. She once said that "sometimes the best start is the accident," meaning that mistakes can lead to great art.

Art Career and Exhibitions

Linda Ridgway has shown her art in many places. She has had both solo shows (just her art) and group shows (her art with others). Some of her important exhibitions include:

• Linda Ridgway: A Survey, Poetics of Form at the Glassell School of Art. This show was at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 1997. It also went to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1998.
• One Hundred Years: The Permanent Collection of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. This was at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Linda Ridgway first trained as a printmaker. This means she learned how to create art by making prints. But she is most famous for her delicate sculptures. These sculptures often look like plants or clothing. For example, her bronze sculpture called The Dance looks like twisting vines. It shows how she combines bronze with plant shapes.

Her artworks are kept in many public art collections. These include:

• The Dallas Museum of Art
• The El Paso Museum of Art
• The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
• The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.

In 2010, Linda Ridgway took part in a special event. It was called the 360 Speakers Series at the Nasher Sculpture Center. In this series, sculptors talk about what sculpture means today. Her talk was recorded and you can find it on the Nasher Sculpture Center's Youtube page.

Personal Life and Influences

Linda Ridgway lives and works in Dallas, Texas. Her personal life is very important to her art. Her experiences as a mother, a daughter, and a friend often inspire her creative work.