The Tarble Arts Center publication created to document an exhibition by the late, internationally known artist Ruth Duckworth recently received two national awards from the University and College Designers Association.
The exhibition catalogue received the Judges' Choice award and the Award of Excellence. It was designed by Mollie Siu-Chong, a member of the University Marketing and Communications office at Eastern Illinois University. Entries were judged for excellence in concept, design, illustration, typography and printing, as well as effectiveness, quality and creativity in solving the problems inherent in institutional design.
The print judges of the 39th annual UCDA Design Competition evaluated nearly 1,300 print, going green and electronic media entries, awarding 291 awards -- 16 Gold Awards, 17 Silver Awards and 258 Awards of Excellence.
The Duckworth publication documents the bronze and ceramic sculpture exhibition held in conjunction with the dedication of Attendant Spirit, a major bronze sculpture created by Duckworth. Attendant Spirit was commissioned for EIU’s Doudna Fine Arts Center through the State of Illinois’ Art-In-Architecture program and was dedicated in October of 2008.
The cover of the award-winning publication features an embossing based on the EIU sculpture. Inside the catalogue features photographs of the art exhibited at Tarble, a brief biography about the artist, and quotes taken from reviews and articles about Duckworth’s art. Tarble’s director, Michael Watts, and Duckworth’s longtime friend and manager, Thea Burger, worked with Siu-Chong on the publication.
Attendant Spirit was Duckworth’s last major commission and the Tarble exhibition was one of her last solo shows. Ruth Duckworth passed away on October 18, 2009, after a brief illness.
Born in Germany in 1919, Duckworth became internationally known as one of the leading figures in ceramic arts, but her Modernist work also included bronze sculptures, ceramic wall murals, bronze castings, and stone carvings. After fleeing Germany in 1936 she eventually immigrated to the United States in 1964, moved to Chicago and taught at the University of Chicago until 1977.
Duckworth received numerous honors for her artwork. Some major collections that hold examples of her work include the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), Art Institute of Chicago, Stuttgart Museum (Germany), National Museum of Modern Art of Japan, and Smithsonian Institution (Washington D. C.).
The Duckworth exhibition and catalogue were funded by Tarble Arts Center membership contributions, the Illinois Arts Council (a state agency), the Doudna Fine Arts Center, and Thea Burger Associates, Inc.
The Tarble Arts Center and Doudna Fine Arts Center are divisions of the College of Arts & Humanities and work in close cooperation with the office of University Marketing and Communications, all at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
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