Jonathan Ruth, IU Southeast fine arts graduate and adjunct professor, aims to share love of digital media to current students.

As a student, Ruth was concentrating in painting and drawing. His use of photography to gather ideas to paint and draw, ultimately captured his attention. To further his photography interests even more, his father, Gerald Ruth, IUS geography professor, also used photographs in his work and study. 

It was not until IU Southeast purchased the Macintosh computers, did Jonathan Ruth actually get interested in manipulating photographs digitally.

“I never was really interested in computers, nothing really to connect [photography and computers together], once I saw them combined I got interested,” Ruth said.

He was 20 at the time he discovered digital photograph manipulation, and three years later, he was teaching for the arts and letters office in the department of continuing studies.

His teaching career started in Spring 2005, when Marilyn Whitesell, associate professor of fine arts, offered Ruth a part time teaching opportunity.

“It seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Ruth said.

Jonathan Ruth currently teaches three digital media courses on campus.

Jonathan Ruth also owns and operates two photography businesses as well; Image Solutions and Sports Studio. He decided to go into business due in fact that the media world was shifting toward a mostly digital field.

“My favorite thing about what I do is I can do everything I love. Working with students, trying to motivate them to continue in fine arts, letting them know you can take it anywhere,” Ruth said.

Outside of teaching and operating his businesses, Ruth enjoys tennis, golf, the color red and pastrami on rye sandwiches — no mayo.

“Sadly, my hobbies are pretty much what I do here. Teaching and photography,” Jonathan Ruth said.

He is getting married Sept. 26, to Carrie Drane, whom he met at his brothers wedding in 2004.

By GRACE STAMPER
Staff writer
gstamper@ius.edu