With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Ellis Ruley
Painting/Drawing
1882 – 1959
- Biography/Description of Work
Self-taught African American outsider artist who exhibited at the annual Rose Arts Festival held by the Norwich Women’s City Club, Rulley was recognized by then director of the Slater Memorial Museum, Joseph Gualtieri, and given a solo exhibition in 1952. Ruley’s paintings are evocative and often depict biblical or African folklore themes. In 1933 Ruley married Wilhelmina Fox, who was white; the family lived in a 19th/early 20th century farmhouse on Hammond Avenue in Norwich. Sadly, Ruley died there under mysterious circumstances in 1959 and he is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Norwich. Two years later, fire destroyed the homestead along with many of Ellis’s paintings. Five original paintings of his work are housed in the Slater and many others are in private collections or museums across the country.
- Associated Resource(s)