A portrait can be made not only from an artist’s observations, but from the memories and records people leave behind. At Modified Arts in downtown Phoenix, “Ruthless” uses those materials to present the life of Ruth Bird Scholl, a Valley resident who spent decades in everyday jobs and died early last year. The exhibition is curated by Amy Bird, Scholl’s relative; KJZZ reports that the two first met in 2010, when Scholl was 85.
The show’s central work, “Becoming,” is a collaborative portrait assembled from words contributed by people who knew Scholl and artists who did not. KJZZ reports that the exhibition also draws on a memory book Scholl’s colleagues made when she retired from New Arizona Family in 2005. Together, these materials make the portrait a shared act of interpretation rather than a single, definitive account of her.
Personal memories in a wider local record
Scholl worked at a hospital, an insurance company and the Urban League, according to KJZZ. The report also places her childhood on a family watermelon farm of about 80 acres near Bethany Home Road and 27th Avenue. That account connects one person’s recollections to a larger Phoenix history: a City of Phoenix historic-context report describes farming as central to the city’s creation in 1868 and agriculture as a foundation over the following century. The citywide history does not show what became of Scholl’s particular farm.
There are also local precedents for preserving residents’ accounts, though they are distinct from the gallery project. A City of Phoenix historic-preservation report says researchers incorporated oral histories from projects including the 1998 Grant Park History project. Separately, the University of Arizona Libraries’ Archive Tucson collection, dated 2014 to 2024, gathers oral histories spanning roughly the Second World War through the early 21st century. These examples document other approaches to local history; they are not evidence that “Ruthless” is an archival collection or part of a coordinated program.
That distinction helps define the exhibition’s contribution: it brings personal testimony into an art setting, where memories become material for a collective portrait. Modified Arts says its mission includes presenting contemporary art in downtown Phoenix and connecting and cultivating artists and collectors. Eye Lounge lists “Ruthless” as a group exhibition curated by Amy Bird, running October 16 through November 15. Scholl’s story remains particular to the people and records gathered for this show, even as it invites visitors to consider whose lives enter the public record.
