Ruth O’Brien is a passionate & creative Canberra local. Entering her professional career as a singer and songwriter, Ruth has gone on to form a multi-faceted arts career, lending her skills and voice (musical, spoken and written) to many creative initiatives and projects across the ACT. In 2018, Ruth released her debut EP, Invaluable, and is currently working on her next one, Songs for Abby.
Ruth has been in the Canberra arts scene and is passionate about seeing it grow and thrive. In the past, she has worked for Accessible Arts, Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres, Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Women with Disabilities ACT, Canberra Music Tuition and Music for Canberra and Into Tomorrow. Ruth has performed as an actor and musician with Rebus Theatre, has spoken on numerous panel discussions related to the arts and disability, and has collaborated with some of Canberra’s leading music and theatre makers. Ruth has also taught singing privately and run group singing workshops.
Currently, Ruth’s main focus is on building Mary Violet Creative. Ruth believes in the huge value of the arts and how they benefit each and every human being on the planet. Mary Violet Creative is a creative business founded to support other creative businesses. Mary Violet Creative hosts workshops and events (currently online only), and provides up-to-date information and support for artists with the business and administrative sides of their work through coaching and providing arts admin outsourcing services.
As a creative freelancer, and also writes the monthly Locality column for BMA Magazine. Ruth is a member of The Childers Group: An Independent Arts Forum, is on the Board for the National Live Music Awards and is part of the Kingston Arts Precinct Community Panel. During COVID-19, she started a newsletter for the Canberra music industry called Upbeat, which provides fortnightly information about grants, competitions and opportunities to people in the music industry in, and around, the ACT.