Abstract
Since the 19th century, women have been a major driving force within the field of ceramics in the United States as artists, educators, and art advocates. Though male ceramic artists tend to receive the most widespread acclaim, women were largely responsible for the creation and dissemination of early educational materials on the subject and the development of ceramics as a widespread art within the United States throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This thesis examines Sacramento artist, educator, and art advocate Ruth Rippon as a continuation of these practices and a case study in artistic trends in the American Studio Pottery Movement. Though other studies have examined Rippon within a twentieth century context, there has not been a study placing her within older ceramic traditions since 1969, just over thirty years before the end of her artistic production. Examination of archival materials, newspaper articles, exhibition catalogs, and ceramics publications spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century creates a fuller picture of Rippon’s place within these broader trends and establish her as a significant influence on Northern California ceramics.