“Stilled Life,” photography by Karen Bell, Friday, March 31 through April 30 at the Nature Art Gallery
For immediate release ‐ March 28, 2017
Contact: Emelia Cowans, 919.707.9837. Images available upon request
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Art Gallery presents “Stilled Life,” photography by Karen Bell, Friday, March 31 through April 30. A reception will be held in honor of the photographer on Saturday, April 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. inside the Gallery.
Bell has been exploring natural curiosities – dead birds, feathers, insects, reeds, twisted vines, shards of ice – for years. She says she either discovered and photographed during her many wanderings, or gathered and brought objects back to her studio where specimens got incorporated into her life and often into images. “When I first encountered a Red-bellied woodpecker lying in a pile of bamboo branches, I decided to use the situation as a chance to take a closer look at a creature I would never have been able to investigate while it was alive. I experienced both thrill and sorrow as I proceeded to photograph and scan this beautiful bird. When I realized I could do no more, I placed the bird outside; it was gone in the morning. Not a trace of its existence – except for my photographs. The circle of life: one creature dies so another can thrive.”
Bell aspires to freeze time as objects reveal themselves in their (frequently) decaying splendor and says she is constantly aware of the fleeting nature of existence and its depth of beauty and mystery. Bell received her Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and her photographs and artist books have been exhibited widely including at The Brooklyn Museum; Ellis Island Immigration Museum, White Columns, NYC; The Alliance Gallery, Narrowsburg, NY; Davis/Orton Gallery, Hudson, NY; Alex Ferrone Photography Gallery, Cutchogue, NY; Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA; Artspace, Raleigh, NC; Auvillar, France; and Phillips Exeter Academy, NH. Bell teaches at The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City and offers private workshops. She also co-directs a summer art retreat in Northern Portugal.
The Nature Art Gallery is located on the top floor of the Museum Store (1st floor, main building). Store hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4:45 p.m. All exhibited art is for sale. For more information about the Nature Art Gallery, call 919.707.9854.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (11 W. Jones St. and 121 W. Jones St.) in downtown Raleigh, is the state’s most visited cultural attraction. It is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world, drawing them into the intriguing fields of study that are critical to the future of North Carolina. Hours: Mon.- Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun., noon-5 p.m. Admission is free, however donations are appreciated and accepted. Visit the Museum on the Web at www.naturalsciences.org. Emlyn Koster, PhD, Director; Susi H. Hamilton, Secretary, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; Roy Cooper, Governor.