Ellen M. Owens
Curatorial & Writing
A project between Lutheran Family Services, Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Mural Arts Program, and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, "Envisioning Home: Perspectives from Philadelphia Refugees" showcased photographs taken by newly settled people.
The Coalition Self-Taught Artists Collective showcased works by eight individuals in 2013 as a final Philadelphia exhibition before the collective relocated to another city.
"El Viaje de Los Ninos," ("The Journey of the Children"), was a community art project by Nora Litz and Philadelphia Mexican children. The children created dioramas and narrated the stories of their travels from Mexico to the United States.
A project between Lutheran Family Services, Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Mural Arts Program, and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, "Envisioning Home: Perspectives from Philadelphia Refugees" showcased photographs taken by newly settled people.
Exhibitions,
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens has an art galley that hosts temporary exhibitions; these efforts were initiated, managed and, often, curated by Ellen. PMG has hosted more than twenty exhibitions since 2010.
These exhibitions find connect with PMG's mission to explore visionary, and mosaic art. They have ranged widely from collaborative projects, such as a refugee visionary "photovoice" exhibition teaming with Jefferson Hospital and Lutheran Children & Family Services, to solo exhibitions by Pam Lethbridge and Katia McGuirk, to displays by the Philadelphia Developmental Disabilities Corporation.
For six months, HomeSkooled Gallery inhabited a South Street retail store as part of the "Arts on South" program to invigorate the neighborhood.
"Booked!" was a collaborative event between The Soapbox independent book publishing company and HomeSkooled Gallery that showcase a love of language.
As part of BOOKED!, a special event that focused on literary love, Ellen designed a giant participatory storyboard wall.
For six months, HomeSkooled Gallery inhabited a South Street retail store as part of the "Arts on South" program to invigorate the neighborhood.
HomeSkooled Gallery
HomeSkooled Gallery is the playful brainchild of Lauren Bohy, Kathryn Sclavi, Kevin Schott, and Ellen Owens. Through collaboration with local groups, HomeSkooled Gallery (HSG) created welcoming spaces for the community to interact with contemporary art. These experiences empower people to create, share, and value their own works as artistic expressions. Born in 2009, HSG has hosted over twenty arts events in venues throughout Philadelphia. The HSG group chose the exhibited artworks and crafted the experiences.
For the arts edition of the Philadelphia "Social Innovations Journal," Ellen wrote about public art and some of its shortcomings.
For the arts edition of the Philadelphia "Social Innovations Journal," Ellen wrote about public art and some of its shortcomings.
Writing Projects
A published author, Ellen has written journal articles for the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. She also has published art reviews for local online news publications, particularly Philly2Philly.com.