Ruth Tunstall Grant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Tunstall Grant
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Tunstall Grant c. 1960s.
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| Born | January 23, 1945 Boulder, Colorado
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| Died | June 5, 2017 (aged 72) San Jose, California
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Artist, Art Educator, Activist |
| Years active | 1966–2017 |
| Spouse(s) | Duncan Chadwick Grant |
| Children | Sheehan Grant |
Ruth Tunstall Grant (1945–2017) was an amazing African American artist, teacher, and activist. She lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was famous for her paintings and for helping her community. She also worked hard to support art for everyone.
Her art was shown in many places, both in the United States and other countries. Some places included the Dallas Museum of Art, the Musée Rath in Switzerland, and the San Jose Museum of Art. Ruth cared a lot about helping her community. She was a strong supporter of children's rights and fairness for all people. She created many new art programs that are still helping people today. She also inspired other creative activists, like Marita Dingus.
Contents
Ruth's Early Life and Education
Ruth Tunstall Grant was born in Boulder, Colorado, in 1945. Her mother, Dr. Lucille Hawkins Tunstall, was one of the first Black women to lead a virology team at the CDC. Her father was a Tuskegee Airman.
Ruth loved visiting the Detroit Institute of Art when she was young. Her mother, who was very busy, would often drop Ruth and her sister off at the museum. The girls would explore the art for hours. The museum guards knew them well because they visited so often. These visits helped Ruth decide to study art in college.
She earned a special certificate from the Detroit Society of Arts & Crafts Arts School in 1965. She then got an Associate Degree in Art from Delta College in 1966. Ruth continued her studies at the University of Dallas Irving. There, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting in 1969 and her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting in 1970.
While still a student in 1969, her work was chosen for an exhibition called Ten Afro-American Artists. This show was held at Mount Holyoke College. The next year, she received an art scholarship to study in Italy.
Ruth's Art Career
Ruth Tunstall Grant's art changed and grew over time. She was always curious and explored new ways to create art. She used different materials and styles. Art expert Lizzetta LeFalle-Collins has studied Ruth's art journey. She noted how Ruth moved from acrylic painting to watercolor, collage, and even public art. LeFalle-Collins described Ruth's paintings as "cosmic compositions" and "observant naturescapes." These works showed her "female agency" and reflected the times she lived in.
Her early art shows included Eight Afro-American Artists in 1971 in Geneva, Switzerland. Another show was Four Moderns in 1972 at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. This show was even reviewed in The New York Times.
In 1971, Ruth moved to Davis, California. Then, in 1975, she moved to San Jose, California. Most of her art and activist work happened in San Jose.
Her art was shown in many group and solo exhibitions. These included major places like the Brooklyn Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Triton Museum of Art.
Solo Art Shows
Ruth had many art shows where only her work was displayed. Some of these included:
- Haggerty Gallery, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas, 1970
- Davis Art Center, Davis, California, 1972
- UC Davis’s Memorial Art Gallery, Davis, California, 1972
- Clark College, Atlanta, 1976
- Ruth Tunstall Grant: Works on Paper, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California, 1981
- Seipp Gallery, Castelleja School, Palo Alto, California, 1983
- Allegra Gallery, San Jose, California, 1985
- Allegra Gallery, San Jose, California, 1986
- Ruth Tunstall Grant: Dream Dancers, San Jose City College, San Jose, California, 1999
- A Journey, Los Gatos Museum of Art and Natural History, Los Gatos, California, 1999
- Ruth Tunstall Grant: Repeated Redirections, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, 2000
- Cross Roads, Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, California, 2010
- Ruth Tunstall Grant, Bay Area Collections, San Jose City College Art Gallery, 2018
- Ruth Tunstall Grant, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California, 2019
Community and Arts Advocacy Work
Ruth Tunstall Grant was a big leader in the art world of the South Bay Area. This was in the late 1970s and 1980s, when Silicon Valley was starting to grow with new technology.
From 1976 to 1988, Ruth was a teacher and director at the art school of the San Jose Museum of Art. She started art programs in about a dozen schools, especially in neighborhoods that needed more help. She said this was "the first outreach program ever for the museum." She worked hard to bring art education to schools in San Jose that didn't have it. She also helped start an art program at the Santa Clara County Children’s Shelter. These were just two of the many projects she led.
In 1984, she was on the board of the Arts Council Santa Clara County. She started an annual festival called Hands on the Arts in Sunnyvale, California. In 1987, she received the Santa Clara County Woman of Achievement Award. Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell spoke at the event. Judge Cordell praised Ruth's work, which brought children's artwork into county courtrooms and social service offices.
In 1989, Ruth helped start Genesis, Sanctuary for the Arts in San Jose. This place combined art studios, art shows, and other creative events. Famous performers like jazz violinist India Cooke and U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera performed there.
A very special project Ruth led was developing and directing the Santa Clara County’s Children’s Shelter Arts Program. This program ran from 1992 to 2009. In 2003, she was appointed to the San Jose Art Commission.
As an art commissioner for San Jose, Ruth started an exhibition program for the new San Jose City Hall. This ran from 2006 to 2012. The first show was Hidden Heritage, which looked back at African American leaders in the city from the late 1800s.
Ruth also worked on the Japantown Mural Project from 2012 to 2013. This was a community project to celebrate a historic neighborhood in San Jose.
Ruth Tunstall Grant was a celebrated artist, activist, and teacher. Her positive influence is still felt today in the art and community of the South Bay Area. She was always willing to help and tirelessly supported art and young people. She inspired many creative activists and helped build a strong foundation for activism in Silicon Valley. Ruth found strength in her family and friends from different cultures. She honored their experiences and always worked to bring people together.
Where Ruth's Art and Papers Are Kept
Ruth's paintings are part of the collections at several museums. These include the de Saisset Museum and the San Jose Museum of Art. They are also at the Triton Museum of Art and the University of Dallas. The African American Museum of Dallas also has her work.
The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) keeps Ruth Tunstall Grant's papers and digital records.
Awards and Special Recognition
Ruth received the Santa Clara County’s Woman of Achievement Award in the Arts in 1987.
In 1999, she was given an Alain Locke Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The Children’s Shelter of Santa Clara County received the EA Taller Award for its Art Education Program. Ruth was the founder and director of this program, which taught art to children who had been abused or abandoned.
Her artworks have been shown in many publications. These include Art International Magazine, The Bay City Times, The New York Times, The Sacramento Bee, and The San Jose Mercury News.
Ruth Tunstall Grant is also listed in Who’s Who Among Black Americans for several years.
Images for kids
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Tunstall Grant c. 1960s.
