Ruth Cravath

Ruth Wakefield Cravath (1902–1986) was an American stonework artist and arts educator, specifically known for her public sculptures, busts and bas-reliefs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Ruth C. Wakefield" redirects here. Not to be confused with Ruth Wakefield.
Ruth Cravath
Black and white photo of Cravath posing next to a stone sculpture. She holds a mallet and is dressed in a black work dress. Her head is covered by a kerchief.
Ruth Cravath in 1955
Photo by Imogen Cunningham
Born
Ruth Barrows Cravath

(1902-01-23)January 23, 1902
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 1986(1986-11-30) (aged 84)
Poulsbo, Washington, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationCalifornia School of Fine Arts
SpouseSam Bell Wakefield III (m. 1928–?)

Biography

Ruth Barrows Cravath[1] was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 23, 1902[2] to Ruth Myra Rew and James Raney Cravath.[3][4]

In high school Cravath attended summer art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago.[5][6] Cravath attended college at Grinnell College in Iowa for one year before moving to California in 1921 to join her family.[5] She attended California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and studied with Beniamino Bufano and Ralph Stackpole.[7] She learned "cut direct" sculpting techniques from Stackpole.[4] In 1926 she started teaching at the California School of Fine Arts, where her students included artists Jacques Schnier and Raymond Puccinelli.[8] In the same year, she co-founded the San Francisco Summer Art School for Children with Marian Trace. In 1928 she married Sam Bell Wakefield III.[7]

Cravath was commissioned to create three statues for the north court of the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, GGIE, designed by Timothy L. Pflueger.[4][9] Her three statues surrounded the "Fountain of Western Waters" in the "Court of Pacifica" area of the Exposition and included a large sculpture named "Alaskan boy spearing a fish".[9]

Her brother Austin Cravath married the artist Dorothy Wagner Puccinelli in 1941.[10] In 1945, Cravath began teaching art at Mills College in Oakland.[7] From 1958 to 1986, she lived at the historic Kerrigan House at 893 Wisconsin Street, between 22nd Street and Madera Street in San Francisco.[11]

Cravath died on November 30, 1986 in Poulsbo, Washington at the age of 84.[6][12]

Public works

Cravath's best known work in the San Francisco Bay Area was her 27-foot-tall, cast-concrete and steel-reinforced statue of St. Francis that stood at the entrance of Candlestick Park from 1973 until 2015.[13][14]

San Francisco Bay Area
  • 1929, Fountain in Tennessee Marble, Emanu-El Sisterhood Residency (now called San Francisco Zen Center, the fountain has been removed), San Francisco[4][15][16]
  • 1930, Bar Maid, The Pacific Stock Exchange Lunch Club (now called The City Club), San Francisco[4]
  • 1930, Laborers, The Pacific Stock Exchange Lunch Club (now called The City Club), San Francisco[17]
  • Athletic Award Tablet, Tamalpais School (now called Marin Academy), San Rafael[4]
  • William Award (bronze tablet), Tamalpais School (now called Marin Academy), San Rafael[4]
  • St. Francis, Candlestick Park, San Francisco (in the process of being relocated by 2018)[18]

References
  1. "Cravath, Ruth Barrows". medalartists.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  2. "New Deal/W.P.A. Artist Biographies". WPAmurals.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  3. "In Focus: f/64 and the Bay Area" (PDF). Mills College Art Museum, Back Gallery. 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  4. Hailey, Gene; California Art Research Project (Volume 16) (1936-01-01). California Art Research: Margaret Bruton, Esther Bruton, Helen Bruton, Helen Forbes, Edith Hamlin, Ruth Barrows Cravath. San Francisco, Calif. : [s.n.]
  5. "Ruth Cravath". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  6. "Cary Grant, 82, one of Hollywood's most popular and..." Chicago Tribune. 1986-12-07. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  7. "Artwork at Candlestick Park, Ruth Wakefield Cravath". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  8. "Ruth Cravath (1902-1986)". California Art Research Archive. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  9. "Photo: AAK-0326". San Francisco Public Library. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  10. "Dorothy Puccinelli". AskArt.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  11. "San Francisco Landmark #148: Kerrigan House". noehill.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  12. "A Leading San Francisco..." Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  13. "Statue of Limitations". Curbed SF. 2015-01-26. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  14. "St. Francis Statue at Candlestick Soon to Be Homeless". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  15. "Landmarks of California, San Francisco Zen Center". Julia Morgan 2012 Festival. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
  16. Wilson, Mark Anthony (2012). Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty. Gibbs Smith. p. 31. ISBN 978-1423636540.
  17. "History". The City Club of San Francisco. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  18. "Candlestick Park's saint statue going on hiatus in Oakland". San Francisco Chronicle. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
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