The John Natsoulas Gallery is thrilled to host 100 Years of Ruth Rippon (1927-2022), celebrating the centennial of the artist’s birth in January 1927. The groundbreaking artist created one of the strongest ceramics programs in the mid-twentieth century – serving as the founding professor of ceramics at CSU Sacramento beginning in 1956. She remained there until 1987, instructing generations of artists who shaped the flourishing ceramics movement of the 20th and 21st centuries. She was one of the few women from the early California Clay Movement to receive significant attention, but the extent of her contributions often remains overlooked.

Her distinctive and beloved figurative works have become icons across the greater region. Her sensitive and skillful approach to depicting figures, both fictional and from the everyday, lend her sculptures undeniable personality and refinement.

Featuring a selection of functional and sculptural ceramics from a private collection, this exhibition is a joyful celebration of Rippon’s impressive and lengthy career.