Susan Roth’s works are currently on exhibition at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery in an exhibition called Form, Frame, Fold. 

Susan Roth grows inspired by the naturalism that surrounds her. Whether it is the motion of the waves or the whirl of the wind, she is fascinated by the evidence of nature’s presence and the trail it leaves behind.  In this way, movement becomes key in her oeuvre and can be perceived in different ways.  Being moved from a particular story or event leads Susan Roth to create pieces in which there is much movement. Moving memories are reincarnated through her pieces which embody travel, journey, and transportation via the mediums, textures, colors, or perceptions.  The optimism she develops from these elements she was also able to find in the touching story of Alice Herz-Sommer.  

A piece called Alice’s Piano within the exhibition, and prominently displayed in the show, is the result of an emotional catalyst.  To give a background to the story of Alice Herz-Sommer, Susan Roth tells us,

 “The life of Alice Herz-Sommer talks to the matter of what art is to the working artist.  It is the story of joy:  both making art and being alive.  Turning to Chopin's Etudes, the 27 solo pieces, Herz-Sommer found belief through practice, faith through optimism for the purpose of life.  This attitude to do, to honor, to emulate allowed her great freedom from the anxieties of influence. All this is to say, I trust my methods, [as] painting is artisanal, and allows any inspiration to come from this freedom to search.”

Alice Herz-Sommer was born on November 26, 1903 in Prague, to a German speaking, Jewish family where she was one of five children. 

To avoid the repercussions of what came with the war, her family fled Prague for Palestine.  It was Alice’s decision to stay behind to take care of her ailing mother.  In 1942, her mother was sent to Terezin, a Nazi operated camp.  After deeming that experience as “the lowest point of my life” Mrs. Herz-Sommer decided to begin work on Chopin’s Etudes.

In 1943, Mrs. Herz-Sommer, her husband, and her son were also transported to Terezin, where many of the inmates were among Czechoslovakia’s most renowned musicians and artists.  It was then that Mrs. Herz-Sommer joined the propagandist band, catering to prisoners and Nazi guards, as well as the Red Cross which visited three times a year.  The music seemed to boost the little morale of the camp and gave people joy.

The beauty of this story comes from the music: It was the concerts and music that kept her morale afloat while in Terezin, and it was Chopin’s Etudes that carried her through the rest of her long life.  Though Mrs. Herz-Sommer’s hands were beginning to fail her (she lost use of two of her fingers) she adapted, and it was her musical inclinations that gave her life and enriched her spirits.  Joy and the activities that evoke optimism in the lives of people can also help guide one to realize their purpose of life. Susan Roth says: “Alice's Piano is dedicated to this spirit.  The title acknowledges the feelings I have for the picture.  I do hope that the viewer can see my sense of what James Joyce says, always, "the same anew".