Artist Marion Wilson’s stunning photographs and delicate drawings will illuminate the Schuylkill Center’s environmental art gallery in Bryophilia. The show, which opens in the gallery with a reception on Saturday, June 11, at 4 pm, is an invitation to explore the details, tininess, and beauty of mosses. During the exhibition, visitors can also explore MLAB, Wilson’s mobile art and ecology lab based in a beautifully renovated RV.
A combination of art works and botanical specimens, plants and photographs, Bryophilia is an exploration of exquisite detail. From stunning large-format photographs of microscopically enlarged mosses to a re-purposed library slide catalog filled with minute drawings and miniature cut paper works, Wilson draws out the world of mosses – bryophytes. The delicate forms of Wilson’s work beautifully evoke the mosses she is so drawn to, highlighting the tiny worlds each moss creates. This attention to detail, to smallness, is fitting for a gallery show which explores mosses – the world’s oldest plant and often the most scientifically overlooked. Mosses evolve uniquely to local habitats, meaning that to understand a moss is to understand the specific details of its local ecosystem: within these little plants, some of which grow for centuries, is a history of where and how each evolved, minutely adapted to their location. It is this that inspires Christina Catanese, Schuylkill Center Director of Environmental Art, to say “mosses force us to look closely, to celebrate place because they are so specifically adapted to their environments.” If mosses can draw us to celebrate place, then Bryophilia is a celebration of that attention. The show invites a view to celebrate small details, overlooked treasures, the world of the right here.
For those who want to delve into the botany of mosses, MLAB offers a drawing and botany lab, with moss species, macro and micro drawing stations, engaging the public in a full interactive art/botany experience. Visitors to MLAB will have the opportunity to experience moss up close, create their own drawing interpretations, and learn more about these fascinating species. While in the region, MLAB will travel throughout Philadelphia to extend the reach of the project, participating in local public festivals and summer events with students.
The public is invited to join Marion Wilson on Saturday, June 11, from 4 – 6 pm for an opening reception at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
On July 24, the Schuylkill Center will also host a conversation around Wilson’s work and the broader field of interdisciplinary social practice art, in partnership with the In/Out summer symposium organized by Moore College of Art & Design’s Social & Studio Practices and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Panelists include art and science thinkers and practitioners, including Marion Wilson (artist, Syracuse), Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer (bryologist, SUNY-ESF), Jane Harris (art writer, Brooklyn), and Patricia Phillips (curator, Moore; moderator).
About the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
The Schuylkill Center was founded in 1965 as the nation’s first urban environmental education center. Its 340-acres of fields and forests serve as a living laboratory to foster appreciation, deepen understanding, and encourage stewardship of the environment. Reaching over 36,000 Philadelphia-area residents each year, the Schuylkill Center offers a diverse collection of educational programs, including programs for school, continuing education for teachers, Pennsylvania’s first Nature Preschool, and a full calendar of events for the public.
Original Release from Anna Lehr Mueser, Schuylkill Center