Earth Box, 2012
Cotton and rice papers, acrylic paint and mediums, waxed linen thread, and sand – from Bermuda, MD, and Easthampton, NY, 10″ x 8″ x 8″
Courtesy of the Artist
Retail Price: $1,500
Reserve Price: $1,200

EDUCATION:
MEd, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1974
BS, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1970

SELECTED AWARDS/ GRANTS/ FELLOWSHIPS:
Best of Show, Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, 2011
Artist Development Grant, Vermont Arts Council, 2005, 1996
Who’s Who in America, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS/ COLLECTIONS:
Green: the Color and the Cause, The Textile Museum, Washington, DC, 2011
All Things Considered VI, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA, 2011
Dialogue: Glass and Fibers, Brattleboro Museum of Art, Brattleboro, VT, 2011
State of Craft, The Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT, 2010

This year, SELECT will feature a short, live auction of three exciting art adventures…and the unexpected opportunity for you to add “Underwriter” to your resume.

Pack your suitcases and head to New York or the South of France.
Or, choose to stay closer to home and raise your bid cards in support of WPA programming.

AUCTIONEER: DR. MARTIN GAMMON

Managing Director
Bonhams

Dr. Martin Gammon was appointed Managing Director of Bonhams new Washington DC office in the fall of 2011. He also maintains roles as Vice President of Museum Services and Director of the Rare Books & Manuscripts Department at Bonhams.
Prior to joining Bonhams, Dr. Gammon was a Research Fellow in the Philosophy Department at Yale University and a Lecturer in the History of Philosophy at Stanford University. He completed his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, and his undergraduate degrees at Cornell University and Wadham College, Oxford. He is widely published in academic journals on the philosophy of art.

Dr. Gammon appears frequently as an appraiser of rare books & manuscripts on the popular PBS television show Antiques Roadshow®, and is a member of the Grolier Club of New York. He is also a member of the Patron’s Society of the Museum Trustees Association and serves on the Corporate Council of the Phillips Collection and the Director’s Circle of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Washington Project for the Art’ Alice Denney Award for Support of Contemporary Art was initiated in 2006. It is named for the founder of WPA, Alice Denney, and is presented annually to an individual who has supported the organization for many years and has made a sustained commitment to the greater DC arts community. This year’s honoree, Molly Ruppert, will receive the award at the SELECT exhibition opening reception on February 11, 2012.

Molly Ruppert, a fifth-generation Washingtonian, became interested in the arts in early childhood as a result of her family’s encouragement. Her father made 16mm movies of the children acting out familiar household stories, a drawing teacher came to the house each week to teach the parents and children, and her aunt, a student of Jack Perlmutter (the Chairman of the Printmaking Department at the Corcoran in the 1960s and 70s), took her to museums and galleries and to visit Jack at his studio.

Molly took this love of the arts to Catholic University, where she studied theater and English literature, and to Bowie State, where she completed a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, and then to NYU, where she recently completed a Certification in Personal Coaching.

In 1992, she opened Ruppert’s Restaurant with her son, Paul, and launched Art Romp, initially a one-night stand of art and performance. This successful event triggered the creation of the Warehouse Theater & Gallery (originally called Studio 1017), a home for local emerging artists for the past 20 years. During that time, the Warehouse has hosted hundreds of artists, performers, musicians, actors, designers, curators, and festivals.

Molly is most proud that the Warehouse served as a launching pad for the careers of numerous DC painters, photographers, sculptors, glass artists, ceramicists, and many other visual artists. As curator/owner of the Warehouse Gallery, Molly’s vision was to create a space and gallery shows where artists could exhibit their work and meet other artists. The Art Romps featured mid-career artists who encouraged less established artists, artists who formed alliances to further their art, and people of all ages who were interested in art and culture and wanted a welcoming place to meet artists.

In addition to the large Warehouse exhibitions which took advantage of the three floors of galleries, Molly, guest curators, and artists produced small group and solo shows exploring contemporary ideas and wide-ranging genres. Some of the best-remembered exhibitions include Molly’s six Peace shows, each addressing the themes of peace and conflict, featuring works by over 150 artists committed to the cause of peace. Through the years, Molly generously welcomed other organizations to present exhibitions at Warehouse including WPA, DCist, Artex, Rhode Island School of Design, and Irvine Contemporary.

In support of the broader art community, Molly created and curated the PixTour Project for FotoWeekDC in 2008 and curated the Whitman Walker Fundraiser Auction in 2010. Molly currently serves on the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Arts Center and Scena Theatre, and on the Advisory Board of DC Cabaret Network. She recently created a coaching practice devoted to the development of artists. Throughout her career in the arts, she has enjoyed the support of her husband Cappy, her six children, and eighteen grandchildren.

PAST ALICE DENNEY AWARD HONOREES
William Christenberry | 2011
James F. Fitzpatrick | 2010
Jack Rasmussen | 2009
William Paley | 2008
Robert Lehrman and Kevin MacDonald | 2007
Susan and Dixon Butler | 2006