Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2023 Creative Living Award. Established in 1983, through the Ruth J. Bogan and Ruth Redding Fund, the Creative Living Award recognizes Vineyard community members who embody Ruth Bogan’s love for the Island and contribute to the quality of life on the Vineyard.
Ruth J. Bogan first experienced Martha’s Vineyard in 1947, and was delighted by the landscape. A nurse by training, Bogan was also a self-taught painter, photographer, and sculptor. She spoke three languages, and was simultaneously known to be an imaginative cook, a devoted gardener, and someone who could fix just about anything. In 1983, her friend, Ruth Redding, wrote, “She met every problem as a challenge to be confronted with courage and intelligence.”
Bogan eventually retired to the Island in 1968, and upon her death, the Ruth J. Bogan Fund was established to support organizations that were meaningful to her, and to recognize Island community members who shared her creativity and ingenuity in a variety of fields. Creative Living Award recipients receive a $1,000 honorarium. To nominate an organization or individual for the 2023 Creative Living Award, visit marthasvineyardcf.org/creative-living-award to learn more. Nominations are due by July 16, and the award will be presented at an event hosted by the Community Foundation, at a date to be determined.
Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation was established in 1982. Its purpose is to put charitable contributions to work for the people of Martha’s Vineyard by making grants to local public and nonprofit organizations, funding scholarships for Island students, and building an endowment that will provide resources to address the community’s needs in perpetuity. More information is available at marthasvineyardcf.org.
