Doris Elrina Rogers (née Vantull; 21 November 1929 – 22 September 2016) was a Guyanese academic who specialised in fine arts. She was a professor at the

University of Guyana The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, is Guyana's national and most prestigious higher education institution. It was established in April 1963 with the following Mission: "To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of th ...

from 1988 to her retirement in 2008, and a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

thereafter.

Early life

Rogers was born in Georgetown,

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

. She grew up in the small settlement of Rose Hall, in the country's east, but returned to Georgetown to attend Central High School. After completing her leaving certificate, Rogers began teaching at a Roman Catholic school in

Port Mourant Port Mourant is a town on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast in East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana. It is the birthplace of the late president Cheddi Jagan as well as many of Guyana's most famous Cricket, cricketers. Port Mourant was originally a suga ...

.In Tribute: Emeritus Professor the late Doris Rogers
''

Stabroek News The ''Stabroek News'' is a privately owned newspaper published in Guyana. It takes its name from ''Stabroek'' , the former name of Georgetown, Guyana. It was first published in November 1986, first as a weekly but it later changed to a daily pri ...

'', 1 January 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2017. Originally a science teacher, she developed an interest in art and in 1967 won a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

scholarship to attend the

South Australian School of Art The South Australian School of Art, originally the South Australian School of Design, is now part school the University of South Australia. it is part of UniSA Creative, which includes the disciplines of architecture and planning; art and desig ...

(now part of the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are ...

). When she returned to Guyana, she took up a position as an advisor to the national Ministry of Education, additionally teaching art at Bishops' High School.Prof Doris Rogers passes away
''Stabroek News'', 29 September 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2017.

Academia

Rogers moved to the United States to further her education, spending several years in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, studying at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

degree in 1974 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1975, specialising in art education and painting. She completed her Ph.D. at

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

at the age of 51. Rogers subsequently moved to

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, to take up an associate professorship at the University of Benin. She spent seven years there, studying African art with a concentration on the traditional art of the

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

people. Returning to her homeland, Rogers became a professor at the

in 1988. Prof Doris Rogers remembered as dedicated educator
''Stabroek News'', 30 September 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2017. She was the coordinator of the Division of Creative Arts until 2003, and oversaw the introduction of the university's first fine arts degree in 1990. Rogers was interested in spreading and maintaining the knowledge of African art among the

Afro-Guyanese Afro-Guyanese, also known as Black Guyanese, are generally descended from the enslaved African people brought to Guyana from the coast of West Africa to work on sugar plantations during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Coming from a wide arr ...

population. She was the founder of Revival and Perpetuation of African Culture (RAPAC), an organisation devoting to protecting the intellectual property rights of practitioners of African cultural traditions. Rogers was also inspired by

Indo-Guyanese Indo-Guyanese or Guyanese Indians, are Guyanese nationals of Indian origin who trace their ancestry to India and the wider subcontinent. They are the descendants of indentured servants and settlers who migrated from India beginning in 1838, a ...

practices, and once led a study tour of India alongside Bernadette Persaud. Her own artwork was exhibited in Guyana, North America, Nigeria, and India.Prof Doris Rogers made significant contributions to Guyanese art and culture
''Stabroek News'', 2 October 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2017.

Later life and honours

Rogers retired from the University of Guyana in 2008 and was made a

. In 2015, she was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement by the Guyanese government. Rogers died in September 2016, aged 86, having suffered from dementia for several years. President

David A. Granger David Arthur Granger (born 15 July 1945) is a Guyanese former politician and retired military officer who served as the ninth president of Guyana from 2015 to 2020. A member of the People’s National Congress (PNC), he previously served as Com ...

issued a condolence statement describing her as "a distinguished national expert in the field of art education and the performing arts".Message of Condolence from His Excellency Brigadier David Granger, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, on the passing of Professor Emeritus, Dr. Doris Elrina Rogers
, Government of Guyana, 1 October 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Doris 1929 births 2016 deaths Guyanese expatriates in Nigeria People from Georgetown, Guyana Academic staff of the University of Guyana Guyanese women academics Howard University alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni Academic staff of the University of Benin (Nigeria) Guyanese artists