The Cherrydale Branch Library will display 13 paintings by Ruth Galoon, a noted Washington artist of the 1950s and ’60s, from June 7 – July 31.

Ruth Galoon was born in 1916 and grew up in Baltimore. She moved to Washington shortly after her marriage to Ben Ginsburg, and lived here until her death in 1976, at the age of 60. 

Galoon was a member of the Washington Watercolorist Association, but she also worked with oils, encaustic paint, and collage. Her work was exhibited at the Corcoran Art Museum, American University, and some of the most noted commercial galleries of the day in New York and Washington. Galoon also had solo shows at the Barnett-Aden Gallery and at the Dupont Theater. View a sample of her work on the Library’s flickr page.

Galoon worked in DC public elementary schools and held classes for children in her home – she preferred to teach children because she considered them more creative than adults, and many of her students went on to become artists.

Ruth Galoon’s daughter and son-in-law, Sheila and Steve Gell, live in Arlington, near the Cherrydale Branch Library.