Dear Guild Hall community,
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It is with great sorrow that we relay to you that Ruth Appelhof, Executive Director Emeritus of Guild Hall, passed away at home overnight. Her death was leukemia-related.
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Ruth was Guild Hall’s Executive Director for 17 years from 1999 to 2016, and her meaningful contributions to the institution, including the renovation completed in 2010, reverberate today. She loved Guild Hall with every fiber of her being and she happily worked and greeted visitors, often seven-days-a-week.
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Ruth earned her Ph. D. from Syracuse University having written her dissertation on American Modernism. Her museum career started at the Whitney Museum of American Art as a Helena Rubenstein Fellow. She went on to direct museums across the country. She was the Chief Curator of the Lowe Art Gallery at Syracuse University followed by the Birmingham Museum where she was instrumental in developing an important contemporary art collection as well as one of the most comprehensive holdings in photography in the south. As a professor at the State University of New York in Auburn and then at Syracuse University, Ruth taught art history, museum management, curatorial methodology and collections development at undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2017, Ruth was a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome, and from 2017 to 2019, she was a Fellow at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center. Since retiring from Guild Hall in 2016, she worked tirelessly on her 192-page book Lee & Me: An Intimate Portrait of Lee Krasner (Officina Libraria, May 2020). Ruth lived with her adoring husband of 22 years, Gary Adamek, in Springs, East Hampton.
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We have created an evolving page of remembrances on our website to capture the breadth of Ruth’s accomplishments and her complete devotion to the arts.
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In a message to Ruth from our Artistic Director, Josh Gladstone remembers, “In our 16 years together, I learned a lot from you— a lot about resiliency, tenacity, good humor in the face of ongoing challenge. I learned about diplomacy from you, and a lot about how to be an arts professional. You taught me about leadership and you taught me about loyalty, and while it’s true that we didn’t always see eye to eye, you were always kind to me and to all of your beloved staff. You invited us to your home, you encouraged us to excel and you were tireless in your devotion to Guild Hall. You held the lantern high, you lit the way for us, and we followed you over rocky paths and down gorgeous avenues and we didn’t waver because you didn’t waver.”——————-Chief Curator and Museum Director, Christina Strassfield says Ruth’s commitment to Guild Hall and the staff was palpable. “Ruth would often ask questions that she knew the answer to but wanted to hear everyone’s opinion before deciding which way she needed to proceed in the best interest of Guild Hall. I remember early on, she said that her job was the best job that she ever had. I think she felt that till the very end. She loved being at Guild Hall, loved the museum, theater and education. Ruth cared about the artists in our community and tried to get them involved in whatever way she could think of.”——————-“When I think about Ruth, I often remember her walking into the office everyday chirping, ‘Good morning!’ to each one of us as though it was the greatest day of her life,” recalls Jeannine Dyner, Deputy Director, who worked alongside Ruth for seventeen years. “She was exuberant in her love for Guild Hall and the community, making each day a relished opportunity to bring people together in their shared love of the arts. Ruth was fearless and tenacious, and she taught me to think big before trying to work out all the details— we could always figure those out later!”——————-“When I took over the Guild Hall leadership from Ruth, she offered her unconditional support and told me, ‘This is the best job anyone could have,’” recalls Executive Director Andrea Grover. “It was evident that her heart and soul were tied enduringly to this institution.”
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We will determine a beautiful way to honor Ruth and celebrate her forthcoming book Lee & Me: An Intimate Portrait of Lee Krasner. Ruth was scheduled to present a related talk this summer at the John Drew Theater as part of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center Lecture Series. Guild Hall will reopen and celebrate Ruth Appelhof’s remarkable life and legacy soon.
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Sincerely,
The Staff and Board of Guild Hall
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