Boyer Gallery to host interactive, labyrinth exhibit by Ellen O. Nelson
“Phototropic,” an installation by artist Ellen O. Nelson will be exhibited in the Boyer Gallery of The Hill School’s Center For The Arts from May 7 to 15. An opening reception will be held May 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. A gallery talk and tour event will be held on Tuesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. These events are free and open to the public.
“Phototropic” is an installation designed to be an experience for all five of the senses and be a celebration of our connection with nature. The main focus of the exhibition will be a large 19 ft. by 19 ft. labyrinth. Participants will be invited to walk the labyrinth, an ageold tradition constructed to connect one’s self back to one’s roots. The labyrinth will be oriented to the four directions: north, south, east and west and will utilize Celtic symbolism to connect the labyrinth with 10 relief prints depicting bird totems. At each of the corners of the labyrinths there will be meditation pods, giving participants an opportunity to quiet the mind and reflect. Through a multisensory approach, visitors will use their senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and even taste to immerse themselves into the world of Nature.
Ellen O. Nelson is a Senior Master of the Arts at The Hill School and Coordinator of the Boyer Gallery. Nelson has been a member of the arts department since 1987. She has served as chair of the department and has taught multiple levels of studio art and art history. Nelson is a graduate of Ithaca College, and has continued her studies at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia; Kutztown University; and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She is pursuing her Master of Arts in Arts Education at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. She is a prolific, award-winning artist in various mediums and exhibits regularly with the Perkiomen Valley Art Center and the Pottstown Area Artists Guild. She is a respected juror for various art groups including the Philadelphia Water Color Society and the Chester County Art Association. She has been a guest lecturer at the Reading Museum and Albright College.