Virtual reception: Wayne Roosa’s “Mattering the Soul”
By: Elaina Erickson
Tags: Art, Bethel University, Retirement, Artist

Virtual reception: Wayne Roosa’s “Mattering the Soul”

Wayne Roosa, a professor at Bethel University for 37 years, is now retiring and is showcasing an exhibit to the community as a farewell. Elaina Erickson Follow Dec 9, 2020 · 3 min read

By Elaina Erickson | Reporter

Wayne Roosa walked into his brother Bruce’s carpenter shop, where Roosa saw that his brother was throwing out wet or dry sandpaper into the trash. Roosa’s eyes caught the sight of the sandpaper, and was struck by how beautiful they were. They were all different, and all so beautiful. He asked his brother if he could have them. Now, they are hung up in the Olsen Gallery showing off Roosa’s work on matter and soul.

Mattering the Soul is Roosa’s exhibition as a send off for his retirement. He had been a professor of Art History at Bethel University for 37 and formerly the department chair. His works of art have been displayed in Minneapolis and New York City.

As an accomplished professor and artist, his art can now be seen in the Olsen Gallery until Dec. 8. On Thursday at 7:00 p.m. he hosted his artist talk on zoom, hosting up to 122 people at one time. Close family, friends, old students and admirers looked at Roosa through the little boxes, listening to him soulfully explaining his passion for art and his artwork.

Artist Wayne Roosa’s tools. | Photo by Emma Gottschalk/Bethel Clarion

The exhibition, called Mattering the Soul, is the combination of Roosa’s fascination with the idea of matter and soul. He says most people use the word ‘and’ to separate the two, and that people usually think of them on a binary. Roosa disagrees, he believes that matter and soul are interconnected and work together in “a dance.”

This idea comes from his fascination in art history and his own childhood experience. In the beginning of his talk, he showed two pictures side by side, each one portraying a horse. He told his audience that the one on the right was made over 25,000 years ago in a deep cave and how the one on the left was made in the 1900s. They both looked so similar, and he was fascinated by the fact that after all this time, art history still has an effect on modern art.

One of his series of art that is displayed in the Olsen Gallery is a set of monoprints. He told the audience that each of 10 vertical paintings was an abstract of a certain mirror that he adored. Roosa explained that the idea of a mirror fascinated him, as it was a single surface that could show more than one thing. It could show your reflection, but also something deeper within as well. The paintings are abstractions of the mirror with a golden frame. An ambiguous image is seen in the middle where the glass would be, and each print is different from the others.

Another series of prints can be seen on another wall, this time made with black ink. They are similar to ancient Chinese landscape paintings. Roosa said that the paintings weren’t together with a poem he found, “The Old Poets of China” by Mary Oliver. Each one represents a part of the poem.

When it was time for questions Caroline Kent asked a question: “Where does the tension lay in your work Wayne?” She then clarified saying in the artwork he presented it seemed harmonious.

“There is way too much happiness and soul fullness in my work.” Wayne Roosa, Artist of “Mattering the Soul”.

Roosa thought for a moment before answering. He smiled, “There is way too much happiness and soul fullness in my work.”

He talked about how especially now in the political climate, he was wondering if he should stop doing the type of art he was doing and start making protest work, political work, and social work. Roosa then said that he was starting to “learn to listening.”

“I don’t know what to do,” he said. “I don’t know what works in the world.”

Roosa’s work will be displayed at Bethel University in the Olsen Gallery until Dec. 8.