Ruthe Blalock Jones
Encyclopedia
Ruthe Blalock Jones is an award-winning Delaware
-Shawnee
-Peoria
painter and printmaker from Oklahoma
.
. Her parents are Joe and Lucy Parks Blalock. Her tribal name is Chulundit.
She earned an associates degree from Bacone College
in 1970. She then earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Tulsa
in 1972. In 1985 she attended the University of Oklahoma
and earned her master's degree from Northeastern State University
in 1989. Her art career began much earlier, when she was ten years old and students under Charles Banks Wilson
.
and won an honorable mention. She works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen and ink, and pencil as well as printing monotypes.
Her first art award was an honorable mention at the Philbrook Art Museum's annual show in 1954, when Jones was 15 years old. In 1995 she was inducted in the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
. In 2011, she was named the Red Earth Festival's Honored One.
"Ruthe's art speaks volumes about the pride of her tribal relationships. ... She pays acute attention to authenticity in detail of dress and the ceremonial aspects of traditional tribal life, and some of her paintings could easily be her childhood recollections," writes art historian Dr. Mary Jo Watson (Seminole
). "Ruthe has many talents maybe others are not aware (of). She is a champion hoop dancer, war dancer and excellent cook."
Delaware Tribe of Indians
The Delaware Tribe of Indians, sometimes called the Eastern Delaware, based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is one of two federally recognized tribe of Lenape Indians, along with the Delaware Nation based in Anadarko, Oklahoma.-History:...
-Shawnee
Shawnee Tribe
The Shawnee Tribe is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma.-History:Sometimes known as the "Loyal Shawnee," the Shawnee Tribe is one of three federally recognized Shawnee tribes. They are an Eastern Woodland tribe. They originally came from Ohio and were the last of the Shawnee...
-Peoria
Peoria (tribe)
The Peoria people are a Native American tribe. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. Historically, they were part of the Illinois Confederation.-History:...
painter and printmaker from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Background
Ruthe Blalock Jones was born on June 8, 1939 in Claremore, OklahomaClaremore, Oklahoma
Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 18,581 at the 2010 census, a 17.1 percent increase from 15,873 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and home to Rogers State University...
. Her parents are Joe and Lucy Parks Blalock. Her tribal name is Chulundit.
She earned an associates degree from Bacone College
Bacone College
Bacone College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by Almon C. Bacone, Bacone College is the oldest continuously operated institution of higher education in Oklahoma...
in 1970. She then earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
in 1972. In 1985 she attended the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and earned her master's degree from Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...
in 1989. Her art career began much earlier, when she was ten years old and students under Charles Banks Wilson
Charles Banks Wilson
Charles Banks Wilson is an American artist. Wilson was born in Arkansas in 1918, his family eventually moving to Miami, Oklahoma, where he spent his childhood...
.
Art career
At the age of 13, Jones entered her first juried art show at the Philbrook Museum of ArtPhilbrook Museum of Art
The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an art museum and former home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve Phillips. , the museum has a staff of 60 and an operating budget of nearly $6 million....
and won an honorable mention. She works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen and ink, and pencil as well as printing monotypes.
Her first art award was an honorable mention at the Philbrook Art Museum's annual show in 1954, when Jones was 15 years old. In 1995 she was inducted in the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma; who serve or have served as role models to other...
. In 2011, she was named the Red Earth Festival's Honored One.
"Ruthe's art speaks volumes about the pride of her tribal relationships. ... She pays acute attention to authenticity in detail of dress and the ceremonial aspects of traditional tribal life, and some of her paintings could easily be her childhood recollections," writes art historian Dr. Mary Jo Watson (Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
). "Ruthe has many talents maybe others are not aware (of). She is a champion hoop dancer, war dancer and excellent cook."
Public collections
Ruthe Jones' work can be found in the following public collections.- Bacone CollegeBacone CollegeBacone College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by Almon C. Bacone, Bacone College is the oldest continuously operated institution of higher education in Oklahoma...
- Five Civilized Tribes Museum
- Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
- George Gustav Heye Center
- Murrow Indian's Children's Home
- Northeastern State UniversityNortheastern State UniversityNortheastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...
- OkmulgeeOkmulgee, OklahomaOkmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...
Public School System - Philbrook Museum of ArtPhilbrook Museum of ArtThe Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an art museum and former home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve Phillips. , the museum has a staff of 60 and an operating budget of nearly $6 million....
- Red Earth Museum
- Sequoyah National Research Center
- Southern Plains Indian Museum
- Tulsa Performing Arts Center
- University of TulsaUniversity of TulsaThe University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
- United States Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the InteriorThe United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
Published works
- "Delaware Commentaries." Grumet, Robert Steven, ed. Voices from the Delaware Big House Ceremony. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0806133607.
- "The Bread Dance: A Shawnee Ceremony of Thanks of Renewal." Townsend, Richard F., ed. Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0300106015.
External links
- Ruthe Blalock Jones, online portfolio
- Ruthe Jones, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture