Ruth Howard (artist) facts for kids

Ruth Howard is a Canadian artist known for creating amazing art and theatre projects with different communities. Many people call her a very important person in the 'Community Play' movement in Canada. She started and led Jumblies Theatre as its Artistic Director from 2001 until 2022.

Ruth Howard's Early Life and Learning

Ruth Howard was born in Durham, England, on April 29, 1957. Her mother was Antonie Howard, and her father, Ian P. Howard, was a famous researcher who studied how we see things. Ruth has younger twin brothers, Neil and Martin.

In 1966, her family moved to Manhattan for a year, then to Toronto, Canada. Toronto has been Ruth's main 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: Shifra, Helah, and Eli.

Ruth studied at several places:

• The Eastbourne College of Art and Design
• The University of Toronto, where she earned a degree in English Literature and Drama
• The National Theatre School of Canada (where she studied design)

Ruth Howard's First Jobs

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

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 British group that created "community plays." A community play is a special type of theatre that combines high-quality art with including everyone from the community. It can also help bring about social change. This experience greatly influenced Ruth's work from then on.

Ruth went on to design community plays in Canada and the U.K. She worked in places like Blyth, Ontario; Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan; Enderby, British Columbia; Torquay, England; and Manchester, England. She also created her own theatre events, starting in schools and growing bigger over time.

In 2000, she created a play in many languages in South Riverdale called Twisted Metal and Mermaids Tears. This play was very successful. Because of its success, Ruth decided to start Jumblies Theatre in 2001.

Jumblies Theatre: Community Art Projects

Ruth started Jumblies Theatre in 2001. Her goal was to create long-term art projects in city neighbourhoods. These projects would lead to big, public performances where everyone could take part. They also aimed to leave lasting positive impacts in the local areas. These projects followed many of the ideas from the Community Play model.

Jumblies Theatre has worked in many communities, creating highly praised shows. Some of these include:

• "Once A Shoreline" in Davenport West (2004)
• "Bridge of One Hair" in Central Etobicoke (2007)
• "Oy Di Velt Vet Vern Yinger (Oh the world will grow younger)" at Camp Naivelt (2008) and the Mayworks Festival (2009)
• "Like An Old Tale," a version of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale in Scarborough (2011)

Helping Other Artists and Groups

Ruth has helped and guided many artists, projects, and organizations. Jumblies' work in communities led to new, independent groups being formed. These "Offshoot" organizations include:

• Arts4All in Davenport West
• MABELLEarts in Etobicoke
• The Community Arts Guild in Scarborough
• An "adopted" Offshoot called Making Room in Parkdale

Other successful community arts groups outside Toronto that Ruth mentored include Aanmitaagzi, Thinking Rock, and OV-CAOS. In 2016, Ruth started the Jumblies Studio. This part of the company focuses on teaching and mentoring in community-engaged arts. It offers workshops, courses, internships, and special projects.

Exploring Toronto's History

In 2014, Jumblies moved to a new location in downtown Toronto. From there, Ruth and Jumblies began a multi-year project. They explored Toronto's long history, including its Indigenous and colonial past. This led to the "Touching Ground Festival" in 2017, which featured new art works.

They also created "Talking Treaties," a project led by Ange Loft, the Associate Artistic Director. This project included a fantastic performance at Toronto's Historic Fort York (in 2017 and 2018). It also featured an interactive art display at the first Toronto Biennial of Art in 2019. The project also produced two films and an educational website (talkingtreaties.ca). Ruth and Jumblies also organized two tours across Canada: "Train of Thought" (2015) and "Four Lands" (2016 to 2018).

Other Creative Works

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

• A one-year project in Lawrence Heights that ended with an outdoor play called "I’m Tapingi Too!" (2001).
• "The Toronto Seder," a special Passover Seder that told an important story about Toronto's Indigenous history (2014).
• "Being Margolia," a musical piece for the Toronto Children's Chorus (2010). Ruth wrote the story for this piece.
• Other new musical works like "Under The Concrete," "Voices Dangle Like Bells," "Quarry," "Round the Table," "Endings," and "Odaabaanag."
• "Grounds For Goodness," a project that explored the idea of 'social goodness' (2019-2022).

In 2022, Ruth stepped down from her role as Artistic Director of Jumblies. This allowed new leadership to take over (Sharada Eswar became the new Artistic Director). Ruth continues to work as a consultant, mentor, and independent artist.

Awards and Recognition

Ruth Howard and Jumblies Theatre have received many awards for their 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"
• 2004 Toronto Urban Institute, Urban Leadership Award Nomination
• 2005 Toronto Community Foundation, Vital People Award
• 2005 Fresh Ground Commission, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto (Jumblies Theatre)
• 2007 Great Grants Award, Ontario Trillium Foundation (Jumblies Theatre)
• 2007 Nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Costume Design for Bridge of One Hair
• 2008 Toronto Community Foundation, Vital Ideas Grant (Jumblies Theatre)
• 2012 Ontario Trillium Foundation Provincial Great Grants Award (Jumblies Theatre)
• 2012 Canadian Urban Institute City Soul, Urban Leadership Award
• 2012 TAPA George Luscombe Award for Mentorship in Theatre
• 2015 Shortlisted for the TAF Martha Bindhardt and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award
• 2018 Toronto Arts Foundation Award for Celebration of Cultural Life