The Susan T. Marx Distinguished Lecture Series hosted contemporary artist Elizabeth Turk on Sept. 26 in the Arthur Ross Gallery, where she discussed her creative process and the inspiration behind her latest works.
Turk is known for her detailed marble sculptures and installations that explore themes such as extinction, isolation, and environmental impact. During the lecture, Turk highlighted her “The Tipping Point: Echoes of Extinction” series, which visualizes bird song sound waves as sculptures.
Turk's inspiration for her art stemmed from her experience in several fellowships, including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. These fellowships allowed her to travel to different exhibits and conduct research about the art that she observed.
“These are two really special fellowships that have the power to transform an artist’s life,” Turk said.
Primarily working with stone, Turk places great emphasis on understanding and evaluating the material she uses.
“Marble is such an incredible material,” she said. “It’s incredibly patient, yet it carries a daunting history — both geological and historical. I enjoy pushing the boundaries of the material, relying on its unique qualities to create that ‘Aha moment.’”
Turk’s recent exhibition with Hirschl & Adler Modern, “Written in Stone,” delves in themes of extinction and the fragility of memory. Her inspiration for the collection came from observing the gradual disappearance of practices like cursive writing.
“There’s something so beautiful yet poignant about the fact that they no longer teach cursive writing and the idea of what that means on a larger scale — a kind of slow extinction that no one seems to notice,” Turk said.
The annual lecture series, sponsored by 1966 College graduate Susan Marx, provides a platform for artists to engage with the Penn community. Marx, an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, credited her time at Penn studying art history as a catalyst for her enduring passion.
“While I was at Penn, I had the privilege of taking some history of art courses, and it changed my life,” Marx said.
Since then, Marx has remained deeply involved in the arts but said she doesn’t aim to sell her pieces despite gaining recognition for them.
“Some have wanted to buy my pieces, but I just can’t do it because they’re really my soul," she said.
Marx played a key role in inviting artists as guest lecturers in collaboration with many of Penn's art history faculty, including Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Professor Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw.
Shaw, who is also the inaugural faculty director of the Arthur Ross Gallery, emphasized the value of inviting artists in the field to speak to the Penn community.
“An opportunity to hear from an artist about their practice, their working methods, and their goals is crucial to understanding the work they create,” Shaw said. “Being able to ask questions and be in the presence of both the artist and their work at the same time is rare.”
Through lectures and beyond, Shaw encourages students to explore their involvement in the art world beyond traditional academics.
“Being involved in the art world isn’t just about taking classes, making things, or writing about art,” Shaw said. “It’s about thinking critically about the art you want to live with, the artists you might want to support, or even the economics of art and investing in it.”
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