The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Drawing played a vital and multifaceted role in Ruth Asawa’s approach to art making. Describing this approach as the creation of “durable fragility,” Asawa saw her sculpture as an extension of her drawing practice.

Prof. Dr. Jordan Troeller explores the continuum between two- and three-dimensional making in Asawa’s work, looking closely at her unconventional subjects, materials, and techniques as instances of drawing’s fragility. Troeller, who teaches at Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany, is the author of a forthcoming monograph on Ruth Asawa and a contributor to the exhibition catalogue.

Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Prof. Dr. Jordan Troeller studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and completed a Master’s degree at Harvard University, where she also received her PhD in 2018. Between 2009 and 2012 she worked as an art critic for Artforum.com. Further positions took her to the University of Graz and the Freie Universität Berlin. In 2022, she took on a lectureship at Leuphana University Lüneburg and on April 1 begun her appointment as a junior professor for Contemporary Art History, Aesthetic Practices at the Institute of Fine Arts, Music and Education. After parental leave, she will begin teaching regularly in the summer semester of 2024. Troeller’s research focuses on the European and Soviet avant-garde in the early 20th century, post-war art in Europe and America, and the history of photography.

This program takes place in the Menil Drawing Institute, located at 1412 W. Main St. Additional information regarding accessibility and parking can be found here. As always, Menil programs are free and open to all.