Artist Statement
I paint to highlight the quiet violence of womanhood
as I experience it in my daily existence. I pay close
attention to the anxiety I feel walking alone home at
night, to a news story about another lost right, to the
way women are ignored and spoken over. In particular,
I consider how patriarchy manifests in architecture
that holds histories of domination. I translate these
concepts into paintings that hide difficult truths
within lush aesthetics.
My artwork is informed by the built and natural environment. During my summer residencies in Kavala, Greece and Mexico City, I paid close attention to my surroundings, especially banal, overlooked aspects like telephone poles or parked motorcycles. The vibrant, hot Mexican Pink was ubiquitous across surfaces from taxis to shrines. The hue led to a new series of conceptual connections in my landscape paintings. I interrogated the potential feminist symbolism of the color: the way its violent brightness is hard to look away from, the shame and reclaiming of pink, the embodied fleshiness of wounds and wombs.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with integrating symbolic and imagined elements into my work alongside real objects to call attention to women’s pain, which is so often ignored and dismissed. By using these otherworldly elements, I aim to reflect a contorted version of reality that inspires viewers to think critically about the present moment.
About Elsie Rogers
CV
Elsie Rogers
relsie@umich.edu | @elsierogersart
University of Michigan, Stamps School of Art and Design
Ann Arbor, MI - May 2026
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design
3.99/4.0 GPA
Experience
Handshake
AI Trainer - Visual Expert
Remote - Oct 2025-Present
Contributed to improving Al's understanding of complex image generation through expert review and feedback
Developed and evaluated domain-specific prompts to assess the performance of large language models (LLMs) in image generation
Penny Stamps School of Art and Design, U of M
Stamps Student-Led Exhibition Committee Chair
Ann Arbor, MI - Jan 2025-Present
Managed the SEC social media pages
Served on a jury evaluating over 300 works of art for gallery shows.
Collaborated with a group of 5 people to curate and install over 10 art shows.
Jock McDonald Photography
Photography Intern
Napa, CA - July-Aug, 2024
Worked with a professional photographer in an apprentice position, mastering fundamentals
of composition and lighting
Collaborated with Jock McDonald onsite shooting background photos and B-roll.
Commissioned Painter
Artist
Saint Helena, CA - Jun-Aug, 2018-2023
Painted over 25 family portraits (humans and pets) for clients.
All funds raised were donated to Nimbus Arts, a nonprofit supporting local artists and art education.
Exhibitions
2026 Group Exhibition, Undergraduate Juried Exhibition, Stamps Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
2025 Group Exhibition, Queer Art Showcase, Stamps Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
2025 Group Exhibition, Stamps Student Exhibition, Ann Arbor Art Fair, Ann Arbor, MI
2025 Solo Expo, Invisible Realism, Lagos Art Residency, Mexico City, Mexico
2025 Group Exhibition, Eutopia Art Residency, Té Arts, Kavala, Greece
2025 Group Exhibition, Makeshift Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI
2025 Solo Exhibition, Satiate, Palmer Commons, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2025 Group Exhibition, The Stampede, Stamps Gallery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Residencies
Eutopia Art Residency, Kavala, Greece, May 2025
Lagos Art Residency, Mexico City, Mexico, June 2025
Awards
05/02/2024 Dean's List
05/02/2024 University Honors
12/15/2024 Dean's List
12/18/2024 University Honors
03/16/2025 James B. Angell Scholar
05/01/2025 Dean's List
05/01/2025 University Honors
12/17/2025 Dean's List
12/17/2025 University Honors