Ruth Faison Shaw (1889–1969) was an American artist, educator who is credited with introducing

finger painting Fingerpaint is a kind of paint intended to be applied with the fingers; it typically comes in tubes and is used by small children, though it has occasionally been used by adults either to teach art to children, or for their own use. Finger ...

into the USA as an art education medium. She developed her techniques while working in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy, patenting a safe non-toxic paint in 1931.

Early life

Shaw was born in

Kenansville, North Carolina Kenansville is a town in Duplin County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 855 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Duplin County. The town was named for James Kenan, a member of the North Carolina Senate, whose family home ...

, on October 15, 1889. Her father was a Presbyterian minister and she had four brothers. She attended elementary school in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. She graduated from a Presbyterian girls school, the James Sprunt Institute, in 1906. She also attended the

Peabody Conservatory The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

in Baltimore. After graduation she gained some experience as (an untrained) school teacher in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

Transylvania County, North Carolina Transylvania County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census the population is 32,986. Its county seat is Brevard. Transylvania County comprises the Brevard Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included i ...

. In 1918 Shaw travelled to France and Italy with the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

(YWCA), before setting up a school in Rome.

Finger painting

Shaw is credited with developing the art of

and later introducing it into the American education system. She later claimed she had been inspired when she saw a child smearing iodine onto a wall, realising children liked to 'smear'. This event took place in 1926, when Shaw had already founded an experimental school, the Shaw School, for English-speaking children. Shaw developed the techniques and materials required for finger painting. In 1931 she patented a gelatinous paint medium that would be safe for children. Shaw returned to the USA in 1932. She took a job in the progressive Dalton School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she introduced finger painting to the curriculum. An exhibition of finger painting art took place in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in 1933. She published several books on finger painting.

Later career

Shaw came to be seen as a pioneer in progressive education. She was invited to lecture about finger painting and organize exhibitions. She started a factory in New York to produce her paint. Finger painting workshops were started for adults. In 1942 she became a lecturer at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

. Shaw died in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...

in 1969. A collection of her papers are held at the

Southern Historical Collection The Southern Historical Collection is a repository of distinct archival collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which document the culture and history of the American South. These collections are made up of unique primary mat ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

Selected works

* *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Ruth Faison 1880s births 1969 deaths 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women artists American art educators American women painters People from Kenansville, North Carolina Teachers College, Columbia University faculty American women academics