Ruth Trotter

Ruth Trotter

Ruth Trotter is a Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art and Art History. She refers to herself as an artist who teaches, and feels very lucky to have a job she loves – working with other artists. “My job as a teacher is very closely tied in to who I am as a person,” she says.

When Trotter was 13, she spent a brief period living in France. During that time, she recalls visiting many of the great museums, such as The Louvre and The Prado. In particular, she recalls a Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Holland. “I remember seeing these paintings and being really moved and transformed,” she said. “Something happened. At some level, I knew I was going to be a painter.”

Trotter’s spare time is spent working on her own art, walking on the cliffs of the pacific near her home, or cooking for friends and family. Most weekends she will visit galleries, go to a concert, or see live theater. “I love living in L.A. because there’s so many cultural opportunities,” said the professor, whose office door posts announcements for openings at The Museum of Contemporary Art, and Chinatown galleries, among others. “I enjoy taking advantage of all the diversity of events the city has to offer including performances by the LA Philharmonic, or live theater downtown.”

Her love of urban experience extends to other places through her travels, which she enjoys with her husband, a physicist who works on space satellites. “We both yearn for the experience to get outside of our sphere of familiarity and to experience new people and new things”. They recently took a driving trip through Italy.

When asked what her students might say about her she says, “I think they would say I’m approachable and willing to spend time with them on their work. And, I hope they would say I am thoughtful regarding their individuality and self-expression through their own art”.

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Ruth Trotter

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