Meet Ruth Chase | Artist & Community Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruth Chase and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruth, so many of the folks we connect with are focused on having a positive social impact on their community or the world at large. Can you talk to us about how you are helping the community?
The intention behind my work as an artist and with my current project, What Does it Mean to Be A Woman, is to encourage meaningful conversation that empowers women and exposes fuller gender representation—providing a platform for perspectives and experiences which carry the power to shape a different collective future. In twenty video interviews, each woman will share unique and diverse perspectives on the meaning of womanhood, allowing the viewer exposure to new ideas or possibilities about what it means to be a woman. The work honors many points of view ultimately intended to break gender stereotypes and promote unbiased gender expression.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In my paintings, I am interested in exploring what it means to be a woman. I work from images that women have submitted and from selfies that my daughter has taken. These large, intimate paintings on canvas ingrate metaphors taken from current issues. I also use social engagement to elicit feedback that engages my work, creating public installations, paintings, film, and community art exhibitions that explore our sense of belonging. Today I embark on my fourth grant-funded project about how women maintain their sense of belonging. It’s no coincidence that I am working with the theme of BELONGING because that has been the theme of my life. Perhaps the theme of life? Only five years ago, I had no body of work and 30 years of a whole lotta nothing on my resume. A few years ago, I embarked on a dream more significant than I could have imagined—a dream where I belonged to my art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I always take them to Hinano for a burger. www.hinanocafevenice.com

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shout out goes to Venice Arts and to the many arts organization in Venice, such as, Venice Art Crawl, SPARC, and Beyond Baroque to name a few.

Website: https://www.ruthchase.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthchase/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtistRuthChase
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthChaseArtist
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChaseBoudreaux

Image Credits
First image: Ruth Chase and Be Boggs