upcoming grant deadline: 05/15/2024
Ruth's art and social change work is to encourage and empower women of color and others to live a life full of promise and hope while combating HIV and AIDS. An HIV/AIDS activist for the past 15 years, she works to raise consciousness and influence the mindset of communities of color in relation to how they think about people living with HIV/AIDS. Ruth uses art to dispel myths and perceptions about HIV/AIDS among women of color. In her photography series, Reflection: Woman and the Veil she challenges the viewer to feel and trace some of the stages that women of color may experience while struggling, surviving, fighting and living with HIV/AIDS. Through her music, she communicates the spiritual message of love, joy, peace, and renewal while also addressing the struggles facing communities of color. As an African American artist, she is challenged to remember, investigate, and incorporate her culture's struggle for true representation of one's self and others. Her work aims to evoke a response that leads to open and honest dialogue that can revolutionize thoughts, lives, and communities.