Evelyn Roth

Born in Mundare, AB, Evelyn Roth (b. 1936) studied art, dance and fencing while living in Edmonton in the 1950s. She moved to Vancouver in 1961 where she became an active participant in the city’s art scene, joining the Intermedia Society group of artists, dancers, filmmakers and academics in 1967. A multimedia community artist, Roth uses discarded materials to create large, soft, frequently interactive sculptures and environments. Her crochet work is internationally known for creating interactive contexts where objects are worn, inhabited and performed. During the 1960s and 1970s, Roth worked performatively with Helen Goodwin’s dance company, TheCo., after training as a dancer at the University of British Columbia. In 1976, she formed the Evelyn Roth Moving Sculpture Company and in 1990, the Evelyn Roth Celebration Centre in Point Roberts, WA, which enabled her to explore large-scale structures and promoted her internationally as she set up her Festival Arts initiatives. Roth was artist-in-residence at Spokane Expo ’74, participated at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia (1984), the Edmonton Canada World University Games (1983), Vancouver Expo ’86 and the Commonwealth Games, Victoria (1994). Roth has lived and worked in Australia since 1996.