Known for Basketweaving Spouse(s) Len Castle | Name Ruth Castle | |
Born 1931 New Zealand | ||
Ruth Castle (b.1931) is a New Zealand weaver. Her work has been exhibited widely and is held in a range of public New Zealand institutions.
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Career and practice
Castle studied languages at the University of Auckland between 1949 and 1951 and went on to train as an Occupational Therapist at Auckland Mental Hospital, graduating in 1954. In 1956 she became a Handcrafts Tutor for adults, during which time she developed her weaving skills.
In 1967, she travelled across several countries in Asia to investigate and observe weaving practices.
From the late seventies, argues art historian Damian Skinner, Castle had become‘an established part of the studio craft scene in Aotearoa’ New Zealand.
She was awarded a QEII Arts Council grant to travel to California and Mexico in 1981, studying the weaving techniques and materials of Native American weavers in California and Arizona, and weaving practices in Mexico. She also visited a range of museums where she was able to study their basket collections and be exposed to contemporary weaving practices.
Her work was selected for inclusion in Kahurangi: Treasures from New Zealand, a major exhibition of New Zealand contemporary craft shown in the United States in 1984. In 1989 she was made a life member of the Arts Council. In 1993, she exhibited at the Cave Rock Gallery at the Christchurch Art Gallery. She has exhibited with the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. In 2015 Objectspace staged a significant exhibition of Castle's work, curated by Dr Damian Skinner, designed to reflect her lifetime of weaving and give viewers an understanding of her process.
Castle uses a wide range of materials and techniques in her practice, and has two or three basic approaches to her work. Using fine rattancore, she weaves intricate patterned dishes and other items. She also weaves sculptural open-cane work and experiments with natural fibres 'such as vines, grass, rope and branches.'
Family life
Castle married potter Len Castle in 1959.
Collections
Her work is held in the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Auckland, the Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington, The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt, Christchurch Art Gallery, and the Museum of Folk Art in Tokyo.