A ceramist, sculptor, and educator, Rippon emerged in the 1950s as a leading figure in the development of a vibrant Northern California ceramics tradition. She was featured on multiple occasions in Ceramics Monthly, played a key role in the Creative Arts League of Sacramento (CALS), organized exhibitions—including several that were shown at the Crocker Art Museum—and actively exhibited her own work, both in solo and group shows. Rippon also inspired young talent, devoting decades to ceramics instruction, especially in her native Sacramento, where her advancement of the field had its greatest effect.

In 1956, Rippon accepted a faculty position in the art department at what was then Sacramento State College. The only woman in the male-dominated department, she built a strong ceramics program during an era of expanding educational opportunities in the arts. A leading mentor to a new group of artists working in clay, she taught hundreds of students during her thirty-one-year tenure. Many of her students became ceramists and instructors themselves.

A tireless promoter of ceramics, Rippon helped to elevate contemporary work in clay from craft to art. The Sacramento region’s longstanding renown as a ceramics center owes much to Rippon, who steadfastly exerted her talent and vision to shape the recognition and appreciation of the medium.