Risa Horowitz facts for kids

Risa Horowitz (born 1970) is a Canadian artist who creates visual art and media art. Her artworks have been shown in many places across Canada and around the world. For example, her art is part of the permanent collection at Canada House in London, England. Today, she is a professor at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Becoming an Artist: Risa Horowitz's Education

Risa Horowitz studied art at different universities. In 1995, she earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, from York University. She then completed her master's degree in Visual Arts in 2000 at the University of Saskatchewan. Later, in 2012, she finished her PhD in Visual Arts, also at York University.

Risa Horowitz's Career and Teaching

Risa Horowitz has lived and worked in many different parts of Canada. She has taught art subjects like photography and digital imaging at York University and Grenfell Campus. Currently, she is a professor of Visual Arts at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan.

As a professor, Horowitz is interested in how artists learn by doing. She also explores the differences between experts and beginners, hobbies and work, and free time and being productive.

Exploring Risa Horowitz's Artworks

Risa Horowitz has created many interesting art projects. Her work often combines different types of media, like photography, video, and even sound.

Tracking the Sun: I Set Out To Track The Sun (2018)

I Set Out to Track the Sun is a series of photographs. This project focuses on the midnight sun, which is when the sun stays visible for 24 hours in places close to the North or South Pole. This artwork was shown in Norway from November 2018 to January 2019.

Stars and Silence: Landscapes and Silence (2016)

In 2016, Horowitz's work Starfields and Fields was part of an exhibition called Landscapes and Silence. This project was created with help from Edgar Pinto and Tanya Abraham in India.

Journey to Saturn: Imaging Saturn (2016)

Imaging Saturn (2016) is a large art project that uses many different types of media. It focuses on the planet Saturn, how it moves, and the paths of the sun and stars around it.

This artwork combines astronomy (the study of space) with astrophotography (taking pictures of space). It includes maps of the ecliptic (the sun's path), background stars, and Saturn. There are also moving sculptures and videos.

Horowitz became interested in Saturn in 2010 after seeing it through a telescope for the first time. This experience inspired her to start the Imaging Saturn project. She plans to track Saturn's movements for its entire 29-year orbit, from 2011 to 2040.

Across Canada: Blurry Canada (2011)

In 2010, Risa Horowitz took a long road trip across Canada. During this trip, she recorded 175 hours of video and took 20,000 pictures.

Her art show Blurry Canada featured 75 prints from these images. It also showed all 175 hours of video in a 13-day loop. This exhibit was displayed in Regina in 2011 and in Manitoba in 2012.

Music and Effort: Trio (2008)

Trio is a video art project that shows Risa Horowitz learning to play Franz Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2. This piece of music is for a piano, a cello, and a violin. The Trio artwork was shown in Australia in 2008.

Canadian Forests: Trees of Canada (2007)

For her project Trees of Canada, Risa Horowitz was inspired by Canada's 2004 National Forest Inventory. She looked at both native trees and trees that have been introduced to Canada.

Her series of acrylic paintings was shown in Alberta in 2007 and in Toronto in 2008. Twenty of these paintings were bought by the Canadian government for the permanent collection at Canada House in London, England. Risa Horowitz was there for the unveiling, and Queen Elizabeth II was also present.

Technology and Feelings: twitch (2003)

twitch (2003) was an art exhibition that Risa Horowitz helped organize. It featured artworks by five different artists, including David Rokeby and Garnet Hertz.

The exhibition invited viewers to think about how technology and interactive media can create imaginary worlds. Horowitz described twitch as being about comfort, thought, pleasure, mystery, learning, joy, fear, pain, and the search for meaning.

Words and Sounds: Melitzah (2000–2007)

Melitzah (2000–2007) was a large project that combined vocal performance with the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Horowitz created a visual image of the sound wave for every word she pronounced from the dictionary. She documented these images in 138 books and on a website. Melitzah was chosen for an international festival in Brazil in 2005.

Self-Reflection: girl before a mirror (2000)

girl before a mirror (2000) was Risa Horowitz's master's degree project. It was first shown at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery. This project was loosely based on a 1932 painting by Pablo Picasso with the same name. Horowitz's project is a collection of self-portraits.

Awards and Recognition

In 2006, Risa Horowitz received the K.M. Hunter Artist Award. This award recognizes talented artists.