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Davis, Ruth Danielson (1909 - )
During her thirty-two year career in the Related Art Department, Ruth Davis developed the artistic talents of thousands of students, served as a mentor for many new faculty, and exhibited her artwork across the world. Davis earned a BS (1931) and MS (1940) in Art Education from UW. Between these degrees she taught art in a Fond du Lac junior high school and then at Madison East High School. In 1943, Davis was appointed to the Related Art Department at UW, where she became well-known to generations of students through her teaching of “Fundamentals of Design,” an introductory course required of all home economics majors. As part of this course she authored a textbook, A Review of Design Fundamentals (1969). Her advanced elective courses included “3-D Design,” “History of American Interiors,” and the laboratory portion of Helen Louise Allen’s course on decorative textiles. Influenced by Allen, Davis traveled extensively around the country and world to conduct research on home arts and crafts for her class presentations. In addition to her teaching, Davis participated in numerous competitive painting and craft art shows around the country and world. She developed an original technique of applying watercolors, synthetic dyes and inks directly to large textile panels. Along with numerous solo shows, her painted textiles were included in the Objects U.S.A. exhibition, a touring exhibition sponsored by Johnson and Sons to highlight contemporary crafts, and featuring a reception held at the Smithsonian Institution, on both its American tour (1969-72) and European tour (1972-74). Closer to home, Davis’s textiles and watercolor paintings were displayed around Madison in local juried exhibitions, as commissioned works in public places, and in other faculty members’ homes. Even after her retirement, Davis continued to pursue her love of art, earning an MFA from UW in 1976, after which she retired to California. |
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