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Texas As Art

 

The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens is pleased to present “Texas as Art 2021,” an exhibition featuring the works of Rebecca Dodge, Suzi Davidoff, and Liz Culp. The exhibition will run from September 9, 2023, to January 27, 2024. 

Introduction

The most beautiful place on Earth is – the Earth. There are ecoregions with their singular colors, sometimes with very sharp boundaries. There are watersheds, with evidence of flooding and drought. Fire and storms sweep across and scar the landscape. There is the human footprint marching into the ecoregions and replacing them. All this action and drama not only tells stories but also suggests solutions as we manage our changing environment. You can see it all from satellites, and in every satellite image that was made into art for this exhibit there is a beautiful story to tell, seen from above. Co-exhibitors Liz Culp and Suzi Davidoff’s art provides complementary ground-based perspective views, using different viewpoints and techniques. The images in “Texas as Art” are designed to engage the viewer - through art - with the diversity of Texas landscapes including the expression of natural ecosystem elements (water, vegetation, soil, bedrock, weather, climate), landscape features (mountains, rivers, plateaus) and the expanding human footprint (agriculture, cities, energy production). Two themes connect the selected images for the 2022-2023 exhibit tour: 1. Texas’ natural ecoregions and landforms, and 2. Texas’ state parks, historic areas, natural areas, and wildlife management areas and their scientific management, conservation, and restoration by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

El lugar más hermoso de la Tierra es – la Tierra. Hay ecorregiones con sus colores singulares, a veces con límites muy definidos. Hay cuencas hidrográficas, con evidencia de inundaciones y sequías. El fuego y las tormentas barren y marcan el paisaje. La huella humana está entrando en las ecorregiones y reemplazándolas. Toda esta acción y drama no solo cuenta historias, sino que también sugiere soluciones a medida que manejamos nuestro entorno cambiante. Puedes verlo todo desde los satélites, y en cada imagen satelital que se convirtió en arte para esta exhibición hay una hermosa historia que contar, vista desde arriba. El arte de las coexpositoras Liz Culp y Suzi Davidoff proporciona vistas complementarias en perspectiva desde el suelo, utilizando diferentes puntos de vista y técnicas. Las imágenes de “Texas como arte” están diseñadas para involucrar al espectador, a través del arte, con la diversidad de los paisajes de Texas, incluida la expresión de los elementos del ecosistema natural (agua, vegetación, suelo, lecho rocoso, clima), características del paisaje (montañas, ríos, mesetas) y la huella humana en expansión (agricultura, ciudades, producción de energía). Dos temas conectan las imágenes seleccionadas para la gira de exhibición de 2022-2023: 1. Las ecorregiones naturales y los accidentes geográficos de Texas, y 2. Los parques estatales, las áreas históricas, áreas naturales y áreas de manejo de vida silvestre de Texas y su manejo científico, conservación y restauración por parte del Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas.

The Artists

Rebecca Dodge's artworks focus on the natural eco-regions of West Texas and the role of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in managing, conserving, and restoring these areas. By using visible and infrared wavelengths of light from the Landsat satellite, Dodge creates false color imagery that enhances the beauty of Texas landscapes. Her art pieces are intended to inspire viewers to understand the importance of managing our resources and exploring the land we live on. 

Suzi Davidoff's pieces explore the beauty of Earth's ecoregions, while Liz Culp's art provides complementary ground-based perspective views of the Trans-Pecos landscape. Together, these artworks invite visitors to explore the complexity and beauty of West Texas landscapes and their relationship with the environment. Dodge's grant, received from Texas View and its parent organization AmericaView in July 2020, allowed her to download the satellite images and produce prints on canvas and paper prints of the imagery from the enhanced digital files. All the ecoregion information in her works is sourced from the Texas Wildlife and Parks Department, making the exhibition both informative and engaging for scientists and residents alike. 

Rebecca L. DodgeAn Emeritus Assistant Professor of Geosciences from Midwestern State University, Rebecca L. Dodge has applied satellite imagery to study earthquakes, explore for oil and minerals globally, and monitor environmental change on six continents. In her academic career she has trained faculty, students, and teachers to do the same. She began developing digital art based on Landsat satellite imagery, in support of science education and outreach, just three years ago. With profits from the sale of her art, she supports scholarships and grants for university students and faculty who monitor the Earth from space. Rebecca L. Dodge, profesora adjunta emérita de geociencias de la Universidad Estatal del Medio-oeste (Midwestern State University), ha utilizado imágenes satelitales para estudiar terremotos, explorar en busca de petróleo y minerales a nivel mundial y monitorear el cambio ambiental en seis continentes. En su carrera académica ha capacitado a profesores, estudiantes y maestros para que también lo puedan realizar. Hace apenas tres años comenzó a desarrollar arte digital basado en imágenes satelitales Landsat, en apoyo de la educación científica y la divulgación. Con las ganancias de la venta de su arte, apoya becas y subvenciones para estudiantes universitarios y profesores que monitorean la Tierra desde el espacio.
Suzi DavidoffSuzi Davidoff is an artist based in the Chihuahuan desert of West Texas, creating drawings, prints, and collaborative installations that explore themes of structure, sustainability, and perception of the natural world. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States. Recent solo exhibitions include VANISHING AVIANS, Flatbed Press, Austin,TX, SIMPLIFIED WORLD, Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, El Paso, TX and FIELD NOTES, Octavia Gallery, New Orleans, LA. Selected permanent collections include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts and El Paso Museum of Art. Suzi was a member of the faculty in the Department of Art at UTEP for many years. Suzi Davidoff es una artista que vive en el desierto de Chihuahua en el oeste de Texas y crea dibujos, grabados e instalaciones colaborativas que exploran temas de estructura, sustentabilidad y percepción del mundo natural. Su trabajo ha sido exhibido en galerías y museos de los Estados Unidos. Exposiciones individuales recientes incluyen: AVIONES QUE SE DESVANECEN, Flatbed Press, Austin, TX, MUNDO SIMPLIFICADO, Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, El Paso, TX y NOTAS DE CAMPO Octavia Gallery, New Orleans, LA. Las colecciones permanentes seleccionadas incluyen el Museo Metropolitano de Arte, el Museo Nacional de Mujeres en las Artes y el Museo de Arte de El Paso. Suzi fue miembro de la facultad en el Departamento de Arte de UTEP durante muchos años.
Liz CulpLiz Bartlett Culp comes from a family of artists. Liz took art classes starting at age 12 and continued off and on through high school and while raising two children. Painting was a spare time pursuit during her 30-year career as a Petroleum Geologist. Since retiring in 2020, Liz has been painting full time. Geology combines multiple sciences and requires creativity, so the transition was an easy one. Liz has worked in watercolor, pastels, and acrylics, with her current focus on oils. She loves to paint flowers and land- and skyscapes, especially of the Big Bend area and the Davis Mountains of Texas. Liz Bartlett Culp proviene de una familia de artistas. Liz tomó clases de arte a partir de los 12 años y continuó de vez en cuando hasta la escuela secundaria y mientras criaba a dos hijos. La pintura fue una actividad de tiempo libre durante su carrera de 30 años como geóloga petrolera. Desde que se jubiló en 2020, Liz ha estado pintando a tiempo completo. La geología combina múltiples ciencias y requiere creatividad, por lo que la transición fue fácil. Liz ha trabajado con acuarelas, pasteles y acrílico, y su enfoque actual es el óleo. Le encanta pintar flores y paisajes terrestres y celestes, especialmente del área de Big Bend y las montañas Davis de Texas.

Artists Websites/Portfolios

Suzi Davidoff

Liz Culp

Click the image to view Rebecca L. Dodge's satellite imagesAlpine-image.jpg
Click the image to view Liz Culp's oil paintingsagave-margaritaville.jpg
Click the image to view Suzi Davidoff's drawings and printssuzi-piece.png

Acknowledgments

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