Katie Ruiz
Katie Ruiz is a Chicana artist (1984-current), She is a interdisciplinary artist, making work in painting and fiber sculpture. She is most well known for her blanket series in which she portrays couples standing or lying under colorful Mexican blankets. Geometric patterns and bright colors are reiterated throughout her work. She is also known for her activism work with refugees, The Pompom Project, and children’s book Brian the Wildflower. Ruiz has a Bachelors Degree of Fine Art from Northern Arizona University and a Masters degree of Fine Art from The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture in NYC.
Early Life: Katie Ruiz was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1984. She was raised in Pasadena, CA until the age of 10 when her parents divorced and her single mother and younger sister Emm Ruiz moved to Prescott, Arizona in 1994. She was raised with her single mother and sister. Her life altered when in 2004, her first love, Brian Gianelli was killed in a canoe accident.
Education: Ruiz attended Granite Mountain Middle School and Prescott High School. She attended community college earning as associates degree of art at Yavapai College. In 2003 she travelled around the world on Semester at Sea. She visited 10 countries while living on a ship and studying through the University of Pittsburgh. During her travels she returned back to Botswana, Africa to work in a refugee camp where knitting groups and art classes were implemented. Later in 2004, she lived in Guanajuato, MX and studied fine art at the University of Guanajuato. She finished her bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University in 2008. In 2012 She moved to NYC to study Fine Art at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture where she studied with Dean and mentor Graham Nickson.
Career: Ruiz returned to California in 2016 after the death of her father Hector Ruiz, who was born in Tijuana, MX. She is the sole creator of the Pompom Project. The community art installations are created with hundreds of handmade yarn pompoms. Her work has been shown in numerous museums and galleries around the nation. Her art installations and paintings have been exhibited at The Oceanside Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, The Women’s Museum, Hackett Mill Gallery, Berry Campbell Gallery, The New Children’s Museum and the San Diego International Airport and more. She has been featured on Artsy and remains a top artist to watch.
Collections and Awards:
Oceanside Museum of Art, Mercedes Matter Award recipient, Hohenburg Travel Scholarship recipient, Mac Conner Scholarship recipient, LCU Women’s Fund Scholarship recipient, Himme Productions Art Contest Juried, NAU School of Art J.D. Moller Scholarship Juried, Mountain Artist Guild Scholarship Juried, Kate Corey Art Scholarship.
Artist Statement
My artworks are about the interconnectedness of human beings. The blankets are a connector, a safe space, and a metaphor for that connection. The textiles of the blankets moved me to explore learning weaving in Mexico. This exploration of Mexican and American textiles throughout my work is expressed through painting and fiber art. As a chicana artist I live in the in between of two worlds, Mexican and American. Specifically, the newer paintings of the border are about re-imagining welcome as it pertains to the US Mexico border. As a San Diego resident and first generation Chicana, whose father was born in Tijuana, I am hyper aware of the issues about the border, the wall, and the people stuck between. I worked with the refugee children who came across in mass numbers summer 2020. I taught them art classes and tried to be happy spot in their very hard situation. As San Diego processed 2000 children from that facility into the US I was inspired to create the imaginary border portal paintings. Along similar lines, "bound not broken" is about Women's Rights. It is an abstract rope sculpture that references the abuse of women and their strength through it. Silent warrior the sister artwork to "Silent warrior" Is about the struggles women go through that go unacknowledged. Often activist in nature the work utilizes yarn, paint and mixed media to express trials of humanity in our current times with a focus on relationships, women and refugees. The subject matter is heavy but the work hopefully comes through as still colorful, beautiful and healing.
CV
KATIE RUIZ
Born 1984 Los Angeles, CA
Resides in San Diego, CA
EDUCATION
2015 MFA Painting, New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, NY, NY
2008 BFA Painting, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
2006 Study Abroad University of Guanajuato Mexico, GTO, MX
2003 Study Abroad Semester at Sea University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
2002 Associate of Arts Yavapai Community College
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 “Brian and the Bugs” Mural and Installation, New Children’s Museum, San Diego, CA
2021 The Women’s Museum “Waves of Feminism” San Diego, CA
2021 San Diego International Airport Exhibit, San Diego, CA
2020 “The PomPom Project” Oceanside Museum of Art, CA
2019 1805 Gallery "Xicana"om/exhibitions/xicana curated by Lauren Siry, San Diego, CA
2018 “Mother Rose Cried Many Burdens” Mesa College Art Gallery San Diego, CA
2017 "Artistic Soireé", Los Angeles CA, curated by Britt Magnuson
2015 “Blankets” Thesis Exhibition at New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, New York, NY
2014 “Perceptions” Camaradas Emperial Gallery, New York, NY
2014 “Thursday Art Nights” solo show, Oceanside, CA
2013 “Circles” Café Ipe, Encinitas CA.
2010 “New Works” at Kindred Journeys, Oceanside, CA
2004 Benefit for Africa at Belvedere’s Bistro Prescott, AZ
2000 Zhan’s Coffee Shop Prescott, AZ
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Staff Picks, Oceanside Museum of Art, SD CA
2020 MCASD Museum Auction, SD CA
2020 Catherine Fosnot Gallery “25 Artists chosen by prominent NYC Art Critics of Artists to Collect” New London, CT
2020 Mercedes Matter Award Exhibition NYC, NY
2020 "Sidewalk Activisme.org/past_exhibitions2020/sidewalk/" curated by Jim Daichendt, Oceanside Museum of Art, SD CA
2019 CHROMATIC, a two person show with April Rose, Curated by Alessandra Moctezuma, Mesa College Gallery, SD CA
2019 "Coast to Coast" Curated by Karen Wilkin, Berry Campbell Gallery, NYC
2019 "Coast to Coast" Curated by Karen Wilkin, Paul Thiebauld Gallery, NYC
2019 "Holiday Show" The Front, NOLA
2018 “West Coast Connections” Curated by Karen Wilkin, Hackett Mill Gallery San Francisco, CA
2018 “X Marks the Spot” New York Studio School, New York, NY
2018 San Diego Art Institute, small works show, SD CA
2018 “While the trees run” Northern Daughters VT
2017 "NYSS Alumni Show" New York Studio School, New York, NY
2017 "26th Annual Juried Show" Bowery Gallery, New York, NY Juried by Kyle Staver
2017 "Mexico at the Crossroads" Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn NY
2017 LA Art Walk "Herstory" Downtown Art-walk Lounge, Los Angeles, CA, curated by Nat George
2017 "Coherence" at Nuwave Gallery, Los Angeles CA, curated by Joey Moreno
2016 Hohenburg Scholarship Recipient Exhibition at The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.
2016 LA ART FAIR with WERD Gallery, Los Angeles CA curated by Tim Mueller
2015 "Open Call" Group Show, Lorimoto Gallery, Ridgewood NY.
2015 "Locally Sourced" a group show of 5 recent NYC MFA graduates. E.Tay Gallery, New York, NY. Curated by Christina Papanicolaou
2015 "Strange Paradise" National Juried Exhibition at First Street Gallery, New York, NY. Curated and Juried by Steven Harvey.
2015 “New Work, New York” 2013 A Survey of Selected works by Second Year MFA students and recent graduates from elven New York colleges and Universities" curated by Kat Griffen
2014 “Imprints” Katie Ruiz, Rachel Rickert and Sarah King. New Works NYSS, NY
2014 “Embodiment” Two person Show Katie Ruiz and Suki Valentine. NYSS, NY
2013 RAW: Brooklyn Discovery, Public Assembly,Brooklyn, NY
2013 Greenpoint Gallery Juried show, Brooklyn, NY
2011 The Artist Alley 863 Mission St. San Francisco, CA
2011 The Riford Center 6811 La Jolla Blvd. La Jolla, CA
2008 BFA Thesis Exhibition, Beasley Art Gallery, Flagstaff, AZ
2007 Himme Productions Juried Group Exhibition Memphis, TN
2006 Cervantino Festival Art Showing Guanajuato, Mexico
AWARDS
2015 Hoenburg Travel Scholarship recipient
2014 Mac Conner Scholarship recipient
2014 LCU Women’s Fund Scholarship recipient
2007 Himme Productions Art Contest Juried
2007 NAU School of Art J.D. Moller Scholarship Juried
2002 Mountain Artist Guild Scholarship Juried
2002 Kate Corey Art Scholarship juried
PROJECTS & RELATED EXPERIENCE
2020 Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Virtual Studio Visit
2020-Athenaeum Art Center-Printmaking Instructor
2019-Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, TO DO Mending Project
2018-Hackett Mill Gallery Panel discussion with Wayne Thiebaud, Karen Wilkin, Gina Werfel, Hearne Perdee, Sarah Blaustein.
2017-Current Art Instructor SDCCD
2017-2018 Owner and Operator of Vivid Space SD Gallery
2015-2022 Teacher Assistant for Graham Nickson Drawing and Painting Marathons, New York Studio School
2003-Volunteer Art teacher at Dukwi Refugee Camp, Botswana, Africa