The Public Gallery @ Civic Center Library

Scottsdale Public Art in partnership with the Scottsdale Public Library present exhibitions and educational programming that strengthens awareness of the arts and stimulates community dialogue.

Rip Woods: Creating Magic

Roosevelt “Rip” Woods, (1933–2001), was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, and grew up in Phoenix. His long art career was a standout in Phoenix for his early and recognized talent and his commitment to creating much-needed exhibition opportunities for Black artists.

In his teaching and friendships, he inspired other artists to further their explorations. This exhibition shows Woods’s work, along with the work of some of his past students and friends: Ron Bimrose, Susan Copeland, Carolyn Lavender, Helen Parkhill, Don Robbins, and Woods’s daughter Dee Dee Woods.

Woods conjured visions of reality that were messages to the world, cloaked in satire and humor. His work is mysterious and symbolic, often referring to historic African masks and rituals, while reflecting on modern African American life experiences.

“My work represents survival, ritual, and magic, all of which helps in my quest for personal clarity through art.” — Rip Woods

Woods received both a bachelor and master of art in education at Arizona State University. He taught in the Phoenix Union High School system and privately for eight years before joining the faculty of Arizona State University, where he taught graduate and undergraduate painting and drawing for 27 years and was recognized as a professor emeritus.

This exhibition is co-curated with Woods’s daughter Senina Woods Harris.

For more about Rip Woods, visit RipWoodsStudioProject.com