Donna Ruff
Donna Ruff was born in Chicago, Illinois, and lives and works in Miami, Florida. Ruff received an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2000. She works in mixed media on handmade paper and on found printed matter, such as newspapers, books, and historical documents. Ruff is interested in the materiality of paper and how images and text can be transformed to create new meanings. Selected solo exhibitions include “Textura Obscura” (2024) FIU MBUS Gallery; ”Terra Incognita” (2023) Deering Estate, Miami, Florida; “Based on a True Story” (2023) Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco, California; “The Subject Speaks its Own Importance” (2020) Rick Wester Fine Art, New York, New York. Selected group shows include “Fit to Print” (2021) Print Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; “Spheres of Meaning” (2019) Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum, Miami, Florida; and “The Times” (2016) FLAG Foundation New York, New York. Ruff is the recipient of the Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant, a Miami Individual Artist Grant, and the Ellies Creator Award. Public collections that include her work are the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Morgan Library, Smith College, New Mexico Museum of Art, The Philip and Patricia Frost Art Museum, the Library of Congress, and the Deering Estate. Her work is held in numerous private collections globally.
Collect Bean: What is the kindest thing someone can tell you about your work?
Donna Ruff: What delights me the most is when someone tells me that the elegance and beauty of my work made them spend enough time with it that they might think differently about something and that it makes them want to touch it. Of course, it’s wonderful when someone wants to live with one of my pieces in their home or office.
Collect Bean: What role does art play in society and how does your work contribute to that?
Donna Ruff: For years, I’ve been working with current events in one way or another- using the front page of the newspaper or images from news sources online. I personally work on social justice issues with organized groups. Does art help society in the sense of changing peoples’ minds? I can’t answer that. But I think some artists do work to bring awareness of injustice, and really, that is the key to societal change. In a broader sense, art brings joy and beauty to the world. In places where art has been censored or removed, life seems more dreary- colors more muted.
Collect Bean: How do you approach the balance between experimentation and consistency in your art?
Donna Ruff: I never stop experimenting. I love to try new materials, or I might get an idea and follow up on it. It may be different from what I’ve been doing, but all the work comes from my own curiosity, experiences, methods, and interests, so there is a thread that runs through all of it. Sometimes, it takes a little effort to see it, but it’s there.
Collect Bean: If you could be in a show with any artist, who would it be?
Donna Ruff: There are many artists whose work I admire. Early on, I was inspired by ancient Islamic manuscripts and items made of gold that I had seen in a show at the Met in New York years ago. They were from a cache of things that were buried in Afghanistan to protect them from looters. I think it would be amazing to have my work in a show alongside things like that.
Collect Bean: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Donna Ruff: That’s easy. Stay the course. You might be disappointed things aren’t going as you planned, so take a little time to sit with that and then move on. It’s all going to be ok.
