Ruth Van Sickle Ford (August 8, 1897 – April 18, 1989) was an American painter, art teacher, and owner of the

Chicago Academy of Fine Arts The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum an ...

. She credited artists

George Bellows George Wesley Bellows (August 12 or August 19, 1882 – January 8, 1925) was an American realist painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. He became, according to the Columbus Museum of Art, "the most acclaimed Americ ...

, who influenced her interest in

social realism Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

, and John Carlson, who founded the School of Landscape Painting in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 200 ...

, with helping her to develop her talent. She traveled and made paintings in the United States, Caribbean and South America. An award-winner, her works are in many permanent public and private collections. A book has been written about her entitled ''Warm Light, Cool Shadows: The Life and Art of Ruth Van Sickle Ford.''

Personal life and education

Ruth Van Sickle was born August 8, 1897Jo Fredell Higgins.
Legendary Locals of Aurora
'. Arcadia Publishing; 2012. . p. 38. in Aurora, Illinois to Charles P. Van Sickle and Anna Miller, who had immigrated from Germany in 1879. The Van Sickles, who owned the restaurant The Rookery, were married about 1891.
Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 1, 2014. She was an only child and grew up on the west side of

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located primarily in DuPage and Kane counties, it is the second most populous city in Illinois, af ...

. She attended

West Aurora High School West Aurora High School, or WAHS, is a public four-year high school located in Aurora, Illinois. It is part of West Aurora Public School District 129. The school is also referred to as "West," and "West High,". History High school classes w ...

. After high school graduation in 1915, she enrolled at the

, where she studied under Carl Newland Werntz and graduated in 1918. Van Sickle was a classmate of

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

,Kenan Heise
"Painter Ruth Van Sickle Ford, 91"
''Chicago Tribune.'' April 22, 1989. Retrieved February 1, 2014. with whom she stayed in contact after school. She continued studying art and credited the influences of teachers John Carlson, founder of the School of Landscape Painting in Woodstock, New York, and

social realist Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

. She also studied at the Art Students League, Chicago and the New York Art Students League summer school. She married civil engineer Albert (Sam) Ford in 1918 in a military ceremony in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. After the wedding he departed for service in the First World War. In 1918 Ruth traveled while pregnant to visit a relative in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

and gave birth while on the trip to their only child, Barbara. After the war, the Fords settled in Aurora. Barbara graduated from West Aurora High School in 1936 and attended

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficia ...

. Ford did not consider herself a feminist, but believed that "if a woman has the desire to do something, she should do it." She used the name Ruth Van Sickle Ford, when it was unusual to maintain the maiden surname, because she would often get notes intended for Ruth Ford, a local strip-tease artist. In 1949, the Fords hired architect

Bruce Goff Bruce Alonzo Goff (June 8, 1904 – August 4, 1982) was an American architect, distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere. A 1951 ''Life Magazine'' article st ...

, an instructor at the

, to design and construct a house generally known as " Round House" at 404 South Edgelawn Avenue on Aurora's west side. Said to be modeled after a Tibetan nomad tent, it was also known as the Umbrella House, Mushroom House and Coal House, and attracted curiosity-seekers. It was a balloon-like structure with walls made of coal and chunks of colored glass that had an open interior floor plan. In April 1951 it was described as a "Hollywood fantasy" and a "fine spangling lustrous toy" by the ''Architectural Forum'' magazine. Tired of the attention that their home received, in 1961 they sold it and moved to a conventional ranch house a few blocks away. Sam Ford died in 1984. Ruth Van Sickle Ford died April 18, 1989, aged 91.Ruth VanSickle Ford.
Illinois Women Artists. Bradley University. Retrieved February 1, 2014. A collection of her papers, photographs, letters, and other archived material was donated by her daughter, Barbara Turner, is held at the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

Career

Artist

Ford worked first as a commercial artist. She was chosen to exhibit in the 1921 American Show at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...

. She exhibited her work throughout the United States and the Caribbean islands, garnering numerous awards, including some very prestigious gold and silver medals. Her watercolors and oils are to be found in many museums and private collections, including the Smithsonian Institution in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Her works were exhibited in 1933 to 1934 at the Art Institute of Chicago's "Century of Progress" show. Ford traveled to particularly colorful places like Bermuda, Haiti, Mexico and places within the United States to make some of her favorite paintings. Since her husband did not enjoy traveling, she went by herself or with her daughter. In Haiti her work was exhibited at the

National Museum of Art, Haiti The National Museum of Art is an art museum in central Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The museum contains pre-Columbian works of art from all over the country.Jean H. CharlesCommentary: The Art of Haiti

; She was the first person outside of the country to exhibit there. She made portraits of adults and children, still lifes, cityscapes, landscapes and paintings of everyday country and urban life. Ford had studio space at Tree Studios in Chicago, as did John W. Norton and

Albin Polasek Albin Polasek (February 14, 1879 – May 19, 1965) was a Czech-American sculptor and educator. He created more than 400 works during his career, 200 of which are displayed in the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, Flori ...

. In 1947 an exhibition was held at the Grand Central Art Galleries entitled ''Watercolors of Mexico by Ruth Van Sickle Ford''.Ruth van Sickle Ford; Grand Central Art Galleries; Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.). ''Watercolors of Mexico by Ruth Van Sickle Ford''. Grand Central Art Galleries; 1947.

Educator

In 1921 and again in 1930 Ruth began teaching at the

. In 1937 she purchased the school with money borrowed from friends during the Great Depression and became its President and Director. She continued to teach watercolor and oil painting. She commuted from Aurora to Chicago every weekday, working from early morning and into the evening. For many years the school was located on the 12th floor of 18 South Michigan Avenue. She wrote at length about her theories of art education, including her statement that an art school graduate "should certainly be able to forge ahead with confidence, enthusiasm and a business-like application of his art training." One of her most famous Chicago students was political cartoonist

Bill Mauldin William Henry Mauldin (; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by th ...

. She lived her intention to make art and art education affordable. In 1961 she sold the academy and began teaching classes at the local YMCA. From 1964 to 1973 taught at Aurora College, now

Aurora University Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois. In addition to its main campus and the Orchard Center in Aurora, AU offers programs online, at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, and at the Woodsto ...

. The college awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1974. During her life she was also an instructor at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and ...

in Wisconsin.

Awards

* 1931 - Fine Arts Building Prize, Annual Exhibition of Works by Chicago and Vicinity Artists, AIC * 1934 - Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, 1934 * 1935 - Chicago Woman's Aid Club Prize, Annual Exhibition of Works by Chicago and Vicinity Artists, AIC * 1964 - Women's Gold Medallion, Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art * 2002 - Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame, Illinois, charter inductee

Professional organizations

She became the first woman member from Illinois of the American Watercolor Society in 1954 and the first woman member of the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art in 1960. She was also a member of the American Artist Professional League, the Chicago Painters and Sculptors Association, the

National Association of Women Artists The National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA) is a United States organization, founded in 1889 to gain recognition for professional women fine artists in an era when that field was strongly male-oriented. It sponsors exhibitions, awards ...

, the Philadelphia Watercolor Club and the

Chicago Society of Artists The Chicago Society of Artists is a non-profit organization. The "CSA is the oldest continuing association of artists in the United States. Since its inception and incorporation in 1889, the Chicago Society of Artists has had two primary objectives ...

, Inc. She helped found the Chicago Women's Salon.

Collections

Her work is in the collections of the: *

Aurora Public Library Aurora Public Library may refer to: Canada *Aurora Public Library (Ontario) United States *Aurora Public Library (Colorado) The Aurora Public Library in Aurora, Colorado is a multi-branch library district serving the Aurora suburb of Denver, Colo ...

, Illinois *

, Illinois * Barbara and Powell Bridges Collection, Chicago * Brauer Museum of Art,

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universi ...

, Valparaiso, Indiana * Plum Landing, Aurora, Illinois *

, Voris Library, Illinois