Ruth McKinney named SMAHC 2010 Prairie Disciple

The Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council is proud to present Ruth McKinney as Prairie Disciple for 2010.  The Prairie Disciple is being awarded posthumously.  Ruth passed away on March 18, 2009.  Ruth was nominated by Ramona Larson on behalf of Tatanka Arts.  Ruth was a founding member of Tantanka Arts (www.tatankaarts.org/) and she became the first president of this newly created arts organization. 

In her nomination, Larson said of Ruth McKinney:  “Ruth was the first President of Tatanka Arts and helped to develop and teach a series of Tatanka Arts summer arts classes for children in 2007 and 2008.  Working with Ruth the last few years reminded me of my first introduction to her.  Ruth’s creativity and generosity had only increased.  She was passionate about bringing quality arts experiences to all and in doing so, touched many lives.”  Nan Karr Kaufenberg stated, “She had such an enthusiasm for arts activities, art education and the work of individual artists.  She really lived her art and inspired artists, students and an appreciation of the importance of the arts.”  Constance Geier, ED.D., Professor and Interim Dean of Education at Northern State University, wrote, “I am overwhelmed by the positive influence she has had on hundreds of lives as an artist, a teacher, a mentor, and a friend.”

Ruth was a longtime volunteer and grant panelist for SMAHC going back to the 1980s.  She served on all 3 of SMAHC’s grant panels over many of those years.  She was instrumental in developing the SMAHC Rubric for Grant Panelists for the Arts & Learning program and the Art Projects program.  This tool has greatly helped SMAHC grant panelists in their task of reviewing and rating the various grants.  She was a wonderful artist in her own right, a painter and a sculptor, and together with her husband Joel, operated Blackhawk Studios (www.blackhawk-studios.org/). 

Ruth earned a B.A Art degree from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and a M.F.A in Studio Art from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.  She taught art in both public education and higher education.  Over the years she also conducted many arts and arts enrichment classes both individually and with her husband.  And she received many grants and awards including Blandin Foundation Community Leadership Program, Award for Excellence in Electronic Portfolio Production, Governors Technology Grant  for Virtual Gallery for New Media, Star School Project for HTML Storybooks Project for Elementary Teachers and SMAHC/McKnight Individual Artist grants.

Ruth was an arts supporter and arts booster for nearly thirty years and we are most proud to have had her as a supporter of the arts at SMAHC and in the SMAHC region.  Please join us in honoring her legacy at the SMAHC Annual Celebration on October 30, 2010 to be held at the Crow River Golf Club in Hutchinson.