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Sculptor Ruth Duckworth, 89, poses with examples of her art. Her work will be on display in the Tarble Arts Center in the exhibit "Ruth Duckworth: Ceramics and Sculpture," opening Saturday. She also created a piece called "Attendant Study" which will be part of the rededication ceremony for Doudna Fine Arts Center on Oct. 24. (Photo Courtesy of Thea Burger)

Shaping Inspiration

89-year-old sculptor's wares at Tarble, working on piece for Doudna dedication

By: Chris Gajda/Staff Reporter

Posted: 9/5/08

Ruth Duckworth draws inspiration from plenty of sources.

Every morning, the sculptor tends to her garden and spends time with nature.

It is here that she often decides to do one thing: "Create something beautiful that appeals to people and herself," said her agent, Thea Burger.

Burger said Duckworth, 89, no longer gives phone interviews.

Duckworth's work will be on display at the Tarble Arts Center beginning Saturday and continuing through Oct. 26.

The exhibit will be done in conjunction with Doudna Fine Arts Center's rededication ceremony on Oct. 24, which will include the dedication of Duckworth's latest piece, "Attendant Study," on the building's north side.

The work will be a 15-foot, 2,500-pound bronze sculpture.

The exhibit at Tarble is titled "Ruth Duckworth: Ceramics and Bronze Sculpture."

At a meeting with Illinois Capital Development Board's art and architecture program, Michael Watts said the group heard Duckworth was interested in creating a large bronze sculpture.

Watts said this was exactly what the board, and the University, was looking for.

Duckworth is well known and has won many awards in her 60-plus-year career.

In 1993, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, a gold medal from the National Society of Arts and Letters in 1996, and she was named a visionary by the Museum of Arts and Design in 2003.

"Her art tells what she is as a person," said Thea Burger, Duckworth's agent since 1980.

Duckworth started making the model for "Attendant Study" about a year and a half ago, Burger said. She began sculpting the actual piece about a year ago.

Burger said Duckworth was looking to "make a piece that someone would enjoy, even if they don't know or like art."

Duckworth was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1919, where she lived until 1936.

It is then she decided to move to England to study art at the Liverpool School of Art, the Hammersmith School of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts.

Throughout her studies, she was interested in all forms of art but focused on sculpture.

Duckworth admires other sculptors such as Constantin Broncusi and Isamu Naguchi.

In 1964, the University of Chicago offered her a one-year teaching position.

However, she obtained this position until 1976 and has lived in the United States ever since.

Duckworth's works are displayed at museums throughout the world, such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.