History of the ODU Art Department/Elizabeth Leeor

Elizabeth Leeor
Biography

Born on October 23, Elizabeth Leeor attended Old Dominion University as an undergraduate, and Virginia Commonwelth University as a graduate student. Her graduate degree is a double degree in both photography and design as well as drawing and painting. Currently, Elizabeth Leeor works in the drawing and design department at Old Dominion University, and has been teaching there since 2000. She decided to teach in 1990, after having worked a graphic designer, a freelance illustrator, and even served in the United States Army. Elizabeth has previously taught at Ball State University in Indiana. Teaching is the single most driving force in Elizabeth's life and she is living her dream. Interacting with students, passing on her knowledge, and mentoring promising students is her calling in life. Elizabeth is talented artist, working at the M.F.A ( master of fine arts) level in both photography and painting, and managing to be a semi- professional dancer for 35 years.

Career

Elizabeth has had numerous exhibitions all over the United States, as well as having two international shows. Currently, Elizabeth is involved in "B'ruchim Habaim: Midwestern Sanctuary", a show that explores religious diversity until January 20, 2008. "The exhibit, a photographic essay, is a Minnetrista original and depicts the Jewish temples of East Central Indiana. Four temples and their congregations are represented. They include: Temple Beth El in Muncie; Temple B'nai Israel in Kokomo; Beth Boruk Temple in Richmond and Sinai Temple in Marion. Elizabeth Leeor, exhibit creator/photographer, is a former resident of Muncie and converted to Judaism in 1990. She wanted to use her talents as an artist to increase Indiana's awareness of its own religious diversity. According to Leeor, all four of the temples represented in the exhibit have been around for more than 100 years." "For me, the important message in these pictures goes beyond the discovery that rabbis can be female, married, and pregnant," says Leeor. "It goes past questions of sexual preference, degrees of religious observance, and the politics of personal choice. Religious diversity exists in America, while social and political acknowledgement of this fact has yet to be fully realized....these images are about joy, survival, commitment and the power of art to communicate what social-political religious debate often fails to acknowledge."- Elizabteh Leeor

Elizabeth Leeor, exhibit creator/photographer, is a former resident of Muncie and converted to Judaism in 1990. She wanted to use her talents as an artist to increase Indiana's awareness of its own religious diversity. According to Leeor, all four of the temples represented in the exhibit have been around for more than 100 years. Before teaching at Old Dominion University, Elizabeth taugjt at VCU from 1992-1997. Also, she received a full faculty grant from Ball State University. One of her most significant accomplishments is receiving a full scholarship to attend Virginia Commonwelth University for three years as a graduate student ( asolutley NO money!). Ball State university's provost also appointed Elizabeth to a committee led wellness coalition for students, and in her first year as faculty received a new faculty grant. Also, Elizabeth has given numerous painting tutorials and mentored many graduate students in Color and in drawing.

Elizabeth Leeor is currently teaching figure and anatomy drawing, figure and composition drawing, drawing composition, color, and sits on three graduate committees. Previously, Elizabeth has taught photojournalisn, view camera workshop, beginning photography, intermediate photography, portrait photography, color photography, photography 411, two- dimensional design, three-dimensional design, sculpture, design application, art history 121, beginning drawing, intermediate drawing, introductory painting, intermediate painting, and graduate level painting, communications and presentation skills, and seminars for students looking for jobs. Elizabteh Leeor is more than qualified to mentor and lead students in their pursuits of art and of life.

Artwork