UCSD Artist, Designer,
Author to be Honored at National
Women's History Month Festivities

March 4, 2008

By Jan Jennings

A sculptor, architect and designer of buildings at the University of California, San Diego, an author and professor of theatre, and an emerita professor in visual arts will be honored in festivities during March – National Women’s History Month.

Judith Munk

Architect Judith Munk (1925-2006) and theatre professor Marianne McDonald will be inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame March 29 on the UCSD campus.

Artist Faith Ringgold will be recognized at the National Women’s History Project’s (NWHP) high tea March 28 in New York City. NWHP has chosen Women’s Art: Women’s Vision as the 2008 theme for National Women’s History Month.

The seventh annual induction ceremony for the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame will be at 5 p.m. in UCSD’s Price Center Ballroom.

Sculptor and architect Munk, a Scripps Institute of Oceanography advocate, designed UCSD buildings and the internationally-known cable foot bridge at Scripps. She was instrumental in saving historical UCSD buildings and volunteered extensively in the community and on the UCSD campus.

Marianne McDonald

Theatre professor McDonald is the author of 24 books. Her plays have been performed at the Old Globe Theatre and her influence in San Diego theatres is legendary. She also is founder of the Scripps McDonald Center.

Inducted with Munk and McDonald will be San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, Judge Elizabeth Riggs, women’s advocate Sylvia Hampton, and Native American advocate Karen Vigneault. The mission of the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame is to acknowledge and honor women who have significantly contributed to the quality of life and who have made outstanding volunteer contributions in San Diego County.

Artist and author Ringgold is best known for her painted story quilts – art that combines painting, quilted fabric and storytelling. Her art is concerned with serious issues and harsh realities, but slanted to success in “overcoming all obstacles with a soaring spirit.” She has written and illustrated 11 children’s books.

Ringgold will be honored by the NWHP with 11 other artists of national acclaim, including Judy Chicago and June Wayne. Honorees to personify Women’s Art: Women’s Vision were selected based on “their art, their vision, their art form, their cultural background, the region in which they live and the quality and passion of the nomination submitted.”

Faith Ringgold

The NWHP describes itself as “the catalyst, the content provider, the behind-the-scenes director of a myriad of activities promoting women as leaders and influential forces in our society.” Founded in 1980 in Santa Rosa, the NWHP has established a nationwide presence as the premier resource for information and material about the roles of women in American history.

In its seventh year, the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Women’s History Museum and Educational Center, the Department of Women’s Studies at San Diego State University, the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women, and the Women’s Center at UCSD.

For further information on the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame call (619) 233-7963 or visit the Women’s History Museum web site at www.whmec.org.

Media Contact: Jan Jennings, 858-822-1684