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Ruth Esther Penington (1905-1998) was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado; her family moved to Seattle in 1907. After graduating high school, she went on to study art at the University of Washington, receiving a B.F.A. in 1927 and an M.F.A. in 1929. Penington continued her studies in summer sessions at Columbia University Teachers College, Carnegie Summer School at the University of Oregon, and at the California College of Arts and Crafts. A faculty member of the University of Washington School of Art, Penington also served as director of the University's Henry Gallery and created her own summer art program, the Fidalgo Summer School of the Allied Arts (located in La Conner, Washington).

Although Penington worked in a variety of media, including painting and printmaking, she was best known for her metalwork and jewelry. She was involved with organizations such as Lambda Rho, Northwest Printmakers, and Friends of the Crafts. These groups worked to promote the arts and to organize exhibitions and sales featuring artists and craftspeople from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She also was active as craftsman-trustee of American Crafts Council, New York.