SD’s fabulous sculptor, Ruth Hayward
In a world filled with headlines of disasters and fear, we need to turn to art for a place to nourish the heart and soul. San Diegans are blessed with many incredibly gifted artists; one of them is Ruth Hayward.
Kate Sessions statue in Balboa Park
Ruth spent her professional life as an engineer. Upon retirement she took up sculpture, and San Diego is the better for the presence of this gifted woman and her countless skills and passions. Four of her life-sized sculptures grace Balboa Park just west of the Cabrillo Bridge. If you sit for awhile on any given day, you will see children approach the statue of Kate Sessions, either to put a flower in her basket, take her hand or gaze up into the face of this great lady who did so much to bring us green spaces and trees. Drop in at Scripps Green Hospital, and you will find her bust of Ellen Browning-Scripps. Ruth grew up in this city and has a deep respect for the women and men who made a lasting impact on San Diego. Her sculptures will last for centuries memorializing the greatness of the people they depict.
Ruth is a woman of vision. There is no area touched with her artistry or her energy that is not changed. Homeless women have a better life because of Ruth’s presence on the founding board of Rachael’s Women’s Center where you can find Hayward’s busts of Lilly Tomlin and the city’s former postmaster, Margaret Sellers. One of Ruth’s greatest passions is for the animals in the wild. As the past president of Project Wildlife, all animals in San Diego County are safer and better cared for because of the thousands of hours she spent on their behalf. One might also find her listening intently to resident conductor of the San Diego Opera, Karen Keltner, also a subject of her sculpting talents. Asked “What makes you proud?” Ruth answers, “Saving lives with my anti-terrorist work and visiting all seven continents.”
Whatever Ruth does she brings the highest standards of excellence and talent. Indeed, this artist is one of the true treasures of San Diego.