RUTH’S TABLE HISTORY
1968
Construction of Bethany Center begins. A project inspired by a community-based effort led in part by Ruth Asawa.
1969
Ruth Asawa’s mosaic Growth is installed at newly built Bethany Center Senior Housing
1997
Salud! The Bethany Senior Center Mural is painted on Bethany Center by Dan Fontes and Isabel Graeser. A project funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission.
Lola Fraknoi and Jerry Brown
2009
Ruth Asawa gives her blessing to Lola Fraknoi (Artist/Educator) and Jerry Brown (Executive Director of Bethany Center Senior Housing) for the name Ruth’s Table as a community arts initiative. Ruth’s Table emphasizes hands-on art-making and social connection for older adults.
2010
First gallery exhibition, Taking Root at Ruth’s Table.
2011
Artist Monica Lee joins Ruth’s Table as RT’s weekly Creative Reuse teaching artist
2011
Roots of an Artist documentary premieres at the first annual Legacy Film Festival on Aging, presented by Sheila Malkind, Founder & Director of LFFOA.
2011
Mission shifts to intergenerational engagement, driven by community response. Bethany Center Senior Housing residents and other older adults agree that inviting younger people into the space provides a shared connection that positively impacts their daily lives.
2014
Plans begin for a permanent Ruth’s Table building at Bethany Center.
2018
Ruth’s Table relocates to 3160 21st Street, unveiling a new gallery and garden.
2018
First ever Gallery Takeover Exhibition, Summer of Love.
2019
Grand re-opening with Beyond the Warp and Weft exhibition.
2020
COVID-19 shifts programming online—Enduring Inspiration, virtual exhibits, Creative Spark trainings, and Virtual Studio launched.
2021
Ruth’s Table launches Radical Resilience, an annual exhibition program featuring artists living with disabilities.
2024
First annual Boldly Ourselves LGBTQ+ Pride Exhibition and Live Performance Showcase.
Ruth Asawa at Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective View, San Francisco Museum of Art, 1973. Photograph by Laurence Cuneo. © 2024 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy David Zwirner.
2025
SF MOMA events (April 13/May 1): Ruth Asawa Retrospective celebrations and art-making at SF MOMA with Ruth’s Table teaching artists and volunteers. The retrospective brought things full circle for Ruth Asawa, the namesake artist of Ruth's Table, highlighting her enduring connection to community art-making in San Francisco.