Ruth Lantz

about

Ruth Lantz is an artist and educator living in Champaign-Urbana, IL. She received her Masters in Visual Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) in Portland, OR in 2010. Her work has been featured nationally at numerous galleries and institutions including, Rockford Art Museum, Northern Illinois University, Governors State University, Portland OR International Airport, Southern Oregon University, Oregon Contemporary, and Russo Lee Gallery.  She presented at the “Making a Better Painting” Symposium at the Hoffman Gallery at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR discussing painting and technology in 2020. 

Lantz founded Crit Connection in 2021, a project providing networking opportunities to mid-career artists through monthly one-on-one connections that foster ongoing conversation and critique. She is a collaborator in Creative Lattice, a project providing free or low-cost professional development opportunities to emerging and mid-career artists.

Lantz has taught courses at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Washington State University Vancouver, and Portland Community College. 

She explores how the history of landscape painting has helped to shape our use and understanding of our current virtual spaces. Her works collapse the tension between the traditional canvas and the digital screen, both of which engage in flattening, visual manipulation, and mapping by technical programs. She aims to depict and reimagine at once, investigating our past and present relationships with landscape and technology while leaving room for possible futures.