Sewanee Dedicates Art in Memory of Elizabeth Rogers

On Sunday, April 25, the University of the South unveiled two works of art at the Kappa Sigma House in memory of Elizabeth Rogers, C‘09. The reception came at an important time in memory of Liz: not only was it party weekend, but also her birthday.  After Liz's passing last year, a group of her peers set up a gift fund, the Liz Rogers Memorial Fund, as part of the senior gift to honor Liz's unique contribution to Sewanee. A total of 125 people, including classmates, Sewanee's Phi Kappa Epsilon and Rhodes' Delta Delta Delta sororities, friends of the family, and coworkers, donated money to raise over $10,000 to purchase a 2^nd edition Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc version of Der Blaue Reiter Almanach and a first edition collection of work by Josef Albers named Interaction of Color.

 Vice Chancellor Joel Cunningham opened the reception, which was attended by about 100 people, including current students and alumni, faculty, and University staff. Mishoe Brennecke, C'84 and Chair of the Department of Art History, enlightened the audience to the importance of these works for Liz, and how they were chosen to reflect her artistic interests in late 19^th century art. An Art History major, Liz's favorite artist was Kandinsky, and her love of color influenced the purchase of the Albers work.

 Professors Julie Püttgen and Jeffrey Thompson of the Art History Department remarked on the power of these works, not only in remembrance of Liz, but also as a tool in the classroom. Der Blaue Reiter Almanach is a collection of essays and illustrations that represent a movement started by these artists that was "central to the development of Expressionist painting." Professor Thompson calls the Kandinsky "invaluable in the classroom," where "abstraction, energy, and force find full union."

 Professor Püttgen, who says she has already used the Interaction of Color once since its purchase, calls Albers' work the "best color theory of the 20^th century." Taking out the real collection, Professor Püttgen demonstrated to the audience exactly how Albers experimented with perceptions of color, such as illusions of transparency. The Interaction of Color represents "a transition between European modernism and the new American art, which Albers said was "to make obvious how colors influence and change each other."

 After the exhibition, Maggy Deiters, C'10, an Art History major and friend of Liz, spoke about the process of acquiring the pieces, what they meant to Liz, as well as about some personal reflections of her time with Liz. Helen Rogers, Liz's younger sister, attended the event, and spoke how grateful she and her family are to Sewanee, the Memorial Fund, and everyone who holds Liz in his or her heart. Her request was that we never forget who Liz was, and her contribution to the University. The ceremony closed with a benediction by The Rev. Annwn Myers and a small reception for people to remember Elizabeth's life.