MinerAlert
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.
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.
Artists Websites/Portfolios