Ruth Howard (artist) facts for kids

Ruth Howard is a Canadian artist known for creating amazing art and theatre projects with different communities. People call her a "key figure" in the Canadian Community Play movement, which means she's super important in making plays with and for local people. She was also the first Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre from 2001 to 2022.

Ruth Howard's Early Life and Education

Ruth Howard was born in Durham, England, on April 29, 1957. Her father, Ian P. Howard, was a researcher who studied how we see things. She has two younger twin brothers, Neil and Martin. In 1966, her family moved to Manhattan for a year, then to Toronto, Canada. Toronto has been her home ever since, even though she has worked in many other places too. She lives on Wards Island with her partner, Stephen Cooper. They have three children named Shifra, Helah, and Eli.

Ruth studied art at the Eastbourne College of Art and Design. She also went to the University of Toronto where she earned a degree in English Literature and Drama. Later, she studied design at the National Theatre School of Canada.

How Ruth Started Her Work

For many years, Ruth worked as a theatre designer. This means she helped create the sets and look of plays for professional theatres across Canada. She also worked with different kinds of popular and community-based arts and theatre.

In 1991, Ruth was asked to be a designer for a project called Spirit of Shivaree in Rockwood, Ontario. This project was inspired by a group in Britain that created "community plays." A community play is a special kind of theatre that combines high-quality art with including everyone from the community. It can also help make big social changes. This experience really shaped Ruth's work from then on.

Ruth continued to design community plays in Canada and the U.K. She worked in places like Blyth, Ontario, Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, and Torquay, England. She also started creating her own theatre events, first in schools, and then growing into bigger and more complex projects. In 2000, she created a play in many languages called Twisted Metal and Mermaids Tears in South Riverdale. It was so successful that she decided to start Jumblies Theatre in 2001.

Jumblies Theatre and Community Art

Ruth started Jumblies Theatre in 2001. Her goal was to create long-term projects in city neighborhoods. These projects would lead to big, participatory performances where many people from the community could join in. They also aimed to leave lasting positive impacts in those areas. These projects followed many of the ideas from the Community Play model.

Jumblies has worked in many communities, creating highly praised productions. Some of these include "Once A Shoreline" (2004), "Bridge of One Hair" (2007), and "Like An Old Tale" (2011), which was a version of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale set in Scarborough.

Ruth has also helped and guided many other artists, projects, and organizations. Jumblies' work in different neighborhoods led to new, independent arts groups, often called "Offshoots." These include Arts4All, MABELLEarts, and the Community Arts Guild. Other community arts groups outside Toronto that Ruth mentored include Aanmitaagzi and Thinking Rock. In 2016, Ruth started the Jumblies Studio. This part of the company focuses on teaching and mentoring in community-engaged arts, offering workshops, courses, and internships.

In 2014, Jumblies moved to a new location in downtown Toronto. From there, Ruth and Jumblies began exploring Toronto's long history, including its Indigenous and colonial past. This led to the "Touching Ground Festival" in 2017. They also created "Talking Treaties," a project led by Ange Loft. This project included a big performance at Toronto's Historic Fort York and an interactive art display at the Toronto Biennial of Art. It also led to films and an educational website (talkingtreaties.ca). Ruth and Jumblies also took two shows, "Train of Thought" and "Four Lands," on tours across Canada.

Ruth has created and produced many other projects both with and outside of Jumblies Theatre. Some of these include:

• A year-long project in Lawrence Heights that ended with an outdoor play called "I’m Tapingi Too!" (2001).
• "The Toronto Seder," a special event that told an important story about Toronto's Indigenous history (2014).
• "Being Margolia," a musical piece for the Toronto Children's Chorus (2010).
• Many other new musical works, like "Under The Concrete" and "Odaabaanag."
• "Grounds For Goodness," a project that explored what "social goodness" means (2019-2022).

In 2022, Ruth stepped down from her role as artistic director at Jumblies. This made way for new leadership, with Sharada Eswar becoming the new Artistic Director. Ruth continues to work as a consultant, mentor, and independent artist.

Ruth Howard's Awards and Recognition

Ruth Howard has received many awards for her important work:

• 2000 Our Millennium Award for South Riverdale Lives and Legends
• 2000 South Riverdale CHC, Citizen of the Year (Ruth Howard)
• 2002 Community Arts Ontario, Best Practices for "More or the Magic Fish"
• 2005 Toronto Community Foundation, Vital People Award
• 2007 Nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Costume Design for Bridge of One Hair
• 2012 Canadian Urban Institute City Soul, Urban Leadership Award
• 2012 TAPA George Luscombe Award for Mentorship in Theatre
• 2018 Toronto Arts Foundation Award for Celebration of Cultural Life

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