PHILADELPHIA--(January 22, 2015)— Whether displayed for aesthetic purposes, used for healing powers or examined by scientists to better understand the world around us, crystals have played a key role in ancient and modern culture. Crystal Beings, a group exhibition of artwork inspired by crystals will open at the University City Science Center’s Esther Klein Gallery (EKG) at 3600 Market Street in Philadelphia on February 5 and run through March 20.
These mysterious rocks are believed to have healing powers that can expand awareness and interact with higher dimensions. Not only revered for their mystical qualities, crystals also play an important role in science. The study of crystal structure has helped to analyze the properties of elements and chemical compositions. The analysis of crystal structures has also helped inform complex applications such as X-ray crystallography that allow us to visualize the structure of proteins.
Crystal Beings features a group of artists each with a different approach to their subject and a wide range of processes and mediums. Among the works on display will be a series of paper books that have gone through the crystallization process transforming their pages into glittering abstract sculptures. Another piece will feature large-scale cyanotype photograms, generating repeating geometric patterns that resemble the spatial lattice structure of crystals. Outside the gallery will be an installation of urban geodes by a street artist who has exhibited internationally.
Curated by Angela McQuillan of the Science Center, Crystal Beings features US and Canadian artists including Alexis Arnold, Jaime Alvarez, Elyse Graham, Malena Lopez-Maggi, Russell Leng, Jonathan Latiano, Christine Nguyen, Chris Ritson, and Paige Smith of the Urban Geode Project.
The opening reception for the Crystal Beings will be held on Thursday, February 5 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. at EKG. EKG is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
About the Science Center
The University City Science Center is a dynamic hub for innovation, and entrepreneurship and technology development in the Greater Philadelphia region. It provides business incubation, programming, lab and office facilities, and support services for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and growing and established companies. The Science Center was the first, and remains the largest, urban research park in the United States. Since it was founded in 1963, graduate organizations and current residents of the University City Science Center’s Port business incubators have created more than 15,000 jobs that remain in the Greater Philadelphia region today and contribute more than $9 billion to the regional economy annually. For more information about the Science Center, go to http://www.ucsc2014review.org.
About the Esther Klein Gallery
The Esther Klein Gallery (EKG), which opened at the Science Center in 1976, uses the creative arts as a platform to explore relationships between art, science and technology. EKG seeks to positively impact the cultural life of both its immediate neighborhood of West Philadelphia and the broader Philadelphia community. EKG programming is designed to explore the range of art, science and technology exhibitions and includes gallery talks, panel discussions, and education programs. http://www.Estherkleingallery.tumblr.com
