Katie Ruiz (born 1984) is a Chicana

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

but now resides in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. She uses her art to depict natural forces and symbolism found in blankets.

Biography

Katie Ruiz was born in

, California in 1984 and was raised both there and in

Northern Arizona Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Generally consisting of Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai counties, the region is geographically dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the ...

. Raised by her mother alongside her younger sister, Ruiz was also influenced by her grandmother and uncle. She has traveled through twenty two countries and this has influenced her work with Latin American textiles. Katie has also moved twenty times and twice during the pandemic. She moved to

in 2017 and currently still resides there. Ruiz received her bachelor's degree from

Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the Arizona Territory. It is one of the three universities gove ...

and also pursued a masters degree from the

New York Studio school The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture at 8 West 8th Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York State is an art school formed in 1963 by a group of students and their teacher, Mercedes Matter, all of ...

in 2015. After this, she pursued artwork in a variety of ways and now also teaches art at the

New York Studio School The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture at 8 West 8th Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York State is an art school formed in 1963 by a group of students and their teacher, Mercedes Matter, all of ...

and Athenaeum School. She also received the Mac Connor Scholarship from LCU in 2014 and the Hohenburg Travel Scholarship in 2015. She is known for her "blanket series" in which she incorporates the symbolism of blankets and

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

textiles into intimate moments. During the pandemic, Katie used the time inside to interact with her artwork differently. Blanketism is a term that was coined for an art movement that involves blanket symbols to signify specific themes and expression. Katie, specifically, uses them to tell stories, special moments as well as to show intimacy. Other than her work with blankets, Katie has completed forty sculptures and paintings. Several of these paintings are being showcased at a group show known as "Staff Picks Exhibition" located at the

Oceanside Museum of Art Oceanside Museum of Art is a fine arts museum in Oceanside, California. It began holding exhibits in 1995, with a dedicated facility opening on October 6, 1997. The museum is housed in two buildings designed by Irving Gill and Frederick Fisher, m ...

. She also has just recently finished creating a children's book named ''Brian the Wildflower'' as well as has made masks for healthcare workers. Katie during the pandemic decided to create several "healing alters" and also used her time to work on the masks for the healthcare workers previously mentioned.

Solo/Group Art

Solo

* ''Brian and the Bugs'' (2021) Mural and Installation, New Children's Museum, San Diego, CA * ''Waves of Feminism'' (2021)

Women's Museum of California The Women's Museum of California (WMC) is a nonprofit museum in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park in San Diego, California, dedicated to women's history. It was founded in 1983. It was first organized under the names the Women's History Reclam ...

, San Diego, CA * San Diego International Airport Exhibit (2021), San Diego, CA * The PomPom Project (2020) Oceanside Museum of Art, CA * 1805 Gallery ''Xicana'' (2019) curated by Lauren Siry, San Diego, CA * ''Mother Rose Cried Many Burdens'' (2018) Mesa College Art Gallery San Diego, CA * ''Artistic Soireé'' (2017) curated by Brit Magnuson, Los Angeles CA * ''Blankets'' (2015) Thesis Exhibition at New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, New York, NY

Group

* ''Staff Picks'' (2021) Oceanside Museum of Art, San Diego, CA * ''MCASD Museum Auction'' (2020), San Diego, CA * ''Mercedes Matter Award Exhibition'' (2020) NYC, NY * ''Sidewalk Activism'' (2020) curated by Jim Daichendt, Oceanside Museum of Art, San Diego, California

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Katie 1984 births Living people Wikipedia Student Program 21st-century American painters 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American women artists American activists Painters from Los Angeles New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture alumni Northern Arizona University alumni