OSU Museum of Art welcomes Roth as interim director

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Media Contact: Casey Ihde | OSU Museum of Art Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2783 | casey.pankey@okstate.edu

The Oklahoma State University Museum of Art has announced the appointment of Liz Roth as the museum’s interim director, effective Sept. 3. 

As an OSU faculty member and former interim head for the Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History, Roth comes to the museum with a unique perspective. She has experienced the museum as an educator, guiding students to use the space as a laboratory, as an artist exhibiting her own work, and as a partner and advocate. 

For Roth, the opportunity to guide the museum during this transitional period is exhilarating, she said. 

“I'm very excited about the leadership commitment to hiring an associate provost for the arts and the commitment to incorporating arts education seamlessly within every OSU student. I want to be a part of that,” Roth said.

Roth’s connection to the museum goes back to its beginning a decade ago. 

“I’ve always been invested in this museum,” she said. “It’s really full circle for me.” 

Roth reminisced about the museum’s origins before the Postal Plaza was remodeled into the state-of-the-art home for the university’s growing art collection that it is today. Right before demolition began, she led students in a site-specific art installation depicting wildlife they studied in collaboration with the zoology department. 

Now, 10 years later, Roth continues bringing students to the museum to study art up close and interact with professionals in the field. 

“The minute we opened a museum, we benefited our students tremendously by providing opportunities for them to work in the museum and get real experience to go on for art-related careers,” Roth said.

In addition to art-making courses, Roth teaches many professional practice classes that prepare students for careers in the arts. Through these classes and visits to the museum, students are excited to find ways their studies translate to the workforce. 

“The arts in Oklahoma are part of a fast-growing economic sector that brings a lot of money into the state,” Roth said. “Many people still think that arts professionals focus on ‘soft skills.’ My job is to help students translate those skills that they’ve already developed as OSU's ideal students into real-world careers.” 

Roth continues to teach studio methods this fall. Her dual role as a faculty member and interim director gives her valuable insight as she helps prepare the museum for its next phase of leadership. She sees great potential in the museum, not just for art students but for the entire Oklahoma community. 

“We have so many professors from various departments using the museum as an open classroom,” she said. “We’re also hiring new curators of education who are going to be interacting with the public intimately.”

Roth’s connection to the museum extends beyond academia; she’s also exhibited her own work there. In 2022, she held a solo exhibition, “Understanding Place: Ideas and Process,” which showcased her artistic process and research into landscapes. Now, she’s excited to champion her colleague, Jessica Teckemeyer, who is the latest faculty artist to have a solo exhibition at the museum. 

However, what excites Roth most is the chance to work with the museum’s advisory board. 

“As a supporter of the arts myself, I’m thrilled to meet the people who’ve invested their time, money, and sometimes even their collections into our museum and have an opportunity to meet kindred spirits who understand just how important the arts and the museum are,” she said. “Who wouldn’t want to meet those people? And I get to as my job. How lucky is that? It’s amazing!” 

Looking ahead, Roth is focused on ensuring a smooth transition for the new associate provost for the arts, who will take on leadership responsibilities for the museum. 

“I want to build on the amazing base that my predecessor, Vicky Berry, and then the other interim director, Carl Shelton, made and move us forward,” she said.

Roth studied government and Russian at Smith College before earning her MFA in graphics at the University of Wisconsin. She’s taught at several institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison and OSU. Her accolades include being named a Fulbright Scholar to China in 2019 and receiving the Research Jumpstart Accelerator Grant from OSU’s Vice President for Research. Her artwork has been exhibited across the U.S. and internationally and is held in numerous collections, including Yale University and the Gardiner Gallery at OSU.