Donna Ruff

Donna Ruff’s artistic use of paper begins with her childhood, where she would draw on paper remnants from her grandparents scrap-paper business. The notion of scraps and the immortality of paper stuck with her through her recent work in repurposing articles to represent a larger significance. We are constantly engulfed in news and media and even the most harrowing of events are forgotten with the next edition of the daily paper. Ruff uses uses newspaper headlines and images to preserve and enshrine the stories of migrants beyond the headlines of the ever-changing media. Her current work at RWFA, The Subject Speaks Its Own Importance, is a continuation of The Migrant Series which began in 2011 as a response to the refugee crisis in Europe following the Arab spring. Ruff’s work serves to immortalize the strife and struggle of those caught in a diaspora. The paper and fabrics themselves mirror the refugee experience beyond the images printed over -  intentionally cut and sliced to exemplify the individual’s toil, with the use of fabric symbolizing its endurance and softness. Ruff’s control over the medium through her manipulation of the papers and fabrics allows the viewer to witness that these images need our attention. Her own religious background of Judaism has informed her about the use of paper and print as a means of art. 

Submitted by Rick Wester Fine Art