Ruth Cravath

Ruth Wakefield Cravath (1902–1986) was an American stonework artist and arts educator, specifically known for her public sculptures, busts and bas-reliefs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Ruth C. Wakefield" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Ruth Wakefield.
Ruth Cravath
Ruth Cravath in 1955
Photo by Imogen Cunningham
Born
Ruth Barrows Cravath

(1902-01-23)January 23, 1902
Chicago, Illinois
DiedNovember 30, 1986(1986-11-30) (aged 84)
Poulsbo, Washington
NationalityAmerican
EducationCalifornia School of Fine Arts

Biography

Ruth Barrows Cravath[1] was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 23, 1902[2] to Ruth Myra Rew and James Raney Cravath.[3][4]

In high school Cravath attended summer art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago.[5][6] Cravath attended college at Grinnell College in Iowa for one year before moving to California in 1921 to join her family.[5] She attended California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and studied with Beniamino Bufano and Ralph Stackpole.[7] She learned "cut direct" sculpting techniques from Stackpole.[4] In 1926 she started teaching at the California School of Fine Arts, where some of her students being artists, Jacques Schnier and Raymond Puccinelli.[8] In the same year, she co-founded the San Francisco Summer Art School for Children with Marian Trace. In 1928 she married Sam Bell Wakefield III.[7]

Cravath was commissioned to create three statues for the north court of the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, GGIE, designed by Timothy L. Pflueger.[4][9] Her three statues surrounded the "Fountain of Western Waters" in the "Court of Pacifica" area of the Exposition and included a large sculpture named "Alaskan boy spearing a fish".[9]

Her brother Austin Cravath married the artist Dorothy Wagner Puccinelli in 1941.[10] In 1945, Cravath began teaching art at Mills College in Oakland.[7]

Cravath died on November 30, 1986 in Poulsbo, Washington at the age of 84.[6][11]

Public works

Cravath's best known work in the San Francisco Bay Area was her 27-foot-tall, cast-concrete and steel-reinforced statue of St. Francis that stood at the entrance of Candlestick Park from 1973 until 2015.[12][13]

San Francisco Bay Area
  • 1929, Fountain in Tennessee Marble, Emanu-El Sisterhood Residency (now called San Francisco Zen Center, the fountain has been removed), San Francisco[4][14][15]
  • 1930, Bar Maid, The Pacific Stock Exchange Lunch Club (now called The City Club), San Francisco[4]
  • 1930, Laborers, The Pacific Stock Exchange Lunch Club (now called The City Club), San Francisco[16]
  • Athletic Award Tablet, Tamalpais High School, San Rafael[4]
  • William Award (bronze tablet), Tamalpais High School, San Rafael[4]
  • St. Francis, Candlestick Park, San Francisco (in the process of being relocated by 2018)[17]

References
  1. "Cravath, Ruth Barrows". medalartists.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  2. "New Deal/W.P.A. Artist Biographies". WPAmurals.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. "In Focus: f/64 and the Bay Area" (PDF). Mills College Art Museum, Back Gallery. 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  4. Hailey, Gene; California Art Research Project (Volume 16) (1936-01-01). California Art Research: Margaret Bruton, Esther Bruton, Helen Bruton, Helen Forbes, Edith Hamlin, Ruth Barrows Cravath. San Francisco, Calif. : [s.n.]
  5. "Ruth Cravath". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  6. "Cary Grant, 82, one of Hollywood's most popular and..." Chicago Tribune. 1986-12-07. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  7. "Artwork at Candlestick Park, Ruth Wakefield Cravath". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  8. "Ruth Cravath (1902-1986)". California Art Research Archive. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  9. "Photo: AAK-0326". San Francisco Public Library. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  10. "Dorothy Puccinelli". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  11. "A Leading San Francisco..." Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  12. "Statue of Limitations". Curbed SF. 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  13. "St. Francis Statue at Candlestick Soon to Be Homeless". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  14. "Landmarks of California, San Francisco Zen Center". Julia Morgan 2012 Festival. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  15. Wilson, Mark Anthony (2012). Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty. Gibbs Smith. p. 31. ISBN 978-1423636540.
  16. "History". The City Club of San Francisco. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  17. "Candlestick Park's saint statue going on hiatus in Oakland". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
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