'Nest/Emerge' Opening in Berkshire Botanical Garden's Leonhardt Galleries

by Felix Carroll

Berkshire Botanical Garden presents "Nest/Emerge," an art exhibition, from Friday, March 31, through Sunday, April 30. Featuring works by Elizabeth Cohen, "Nest/Emerge" will exhibit in the Garden's Center House Leonhardt Galleries.

An opening reception will be held Friday, March 31, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In Nest/Emerge, Cohen explores relationships between natural and imagined forms through layers and patterns, re-contextualizing them. The works invite viewers to experience quiet moments and unexpected delights. Incorporating hand-thrown porcelain, mulberry paper, wasp nests, and other materials found in nature, Cohen's art beckons the viewer to connect with the botanical world.

"I find inspiration everywhere: the natural world, microscopic images, landscapes, shells, bugs, bark, leaves, pods and seeds," she said.

A studio potter living Wellesley, Mass., Cohen explores cycles of birth, life and death, growth and decay, rhythm and change. She explores varied metaphorical nuances, such as family, security and comfort, through nesting sets.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Japanese Studies from Tufts University and a master's degree in teaching from Simmons College.

Her work has been exhibited in recent years at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston; The Mill Contemporary, in Framingham; Worcester Center for Craft; River Oaks Arts Center, in Alexandria, La.; and Fuller Craft Museum, in Brockton.

Gallery hours for "Nest/Emerge" are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. — 3 p.m.

For more information, visit BerkshireBotanical.org.

Photo: Lionel Delevingne