Liz Roth exhibition at OSU Museum of Art explores landscapes layer by layer

Monday, January 3, 2022

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Art professor’s work showcases unique artistry inspired by global destinations

A new exhibition by OSU art professor Liz Roth opens Jan. 11 at the OSU Museum of Art. “Understanding Place: Ideas and Process” features landscapes from the artist’s travels, with special emphasis on Roth’s research and creative methods.

“This show documents the many different ways in which Roth considers a landscape: researching it, experiencing it and then seeing it deeply through her artmaking,” said the exhibition’s guest curator, Jennifer Scanlan. “The resulting works are not merely records of the Earth’s surface; they explore what is underneath and the traces left by both time and mankind.” 

Roth, who serves as the interim head of the Department of Art, Art History, and Graphic Design, added that the exhibition is designed to provide a deep look into her artistic process.

“Along with completed paintings and prints, I’m showing my personal sketchbooks, my working color studies and my working color separations sketches so visitors can get a sense of how an image comes to fruition,” Roth said.

“Understanding Place” is the first exhibition to display  all of Roth’s screen prints of China and Oklahoma.

“As an artist, it’s so exciting to see all the works together in one space and be able to consider the similarities and differences of these places,” Roth said. 

Roth’s show is the third of three OSU faculty exhibitions curated by the OSU Museum of Art in the past six months — a happy result of pandemic-related rescheduling.

“We didn’t plan it that way, but it’s been a thrill to feature just a few of the great artists we have at OSU in such quick succession,” museum director Vicky Berry said. “The campus and community response to this series of faculty exhibitions has been outstanding, and we are honored to be able to showcase faculty creative research in our museum.”

There will be a reception for “Understanding Place” from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at the museum, which is located at 720 S. Husband St. in Stillwater. The exhibition is on view through April 9. Admission to the OSU Museum of Art is always free.