Water and Ice
Ellen Alt

Polar ice is cold, colorful, stunning and weakening. Artist Ellen Alt writes, “When I saw the documentary Chasing Ice by James Balog, I was riveted by the contradiction: how could the unfolding beauty of melting ice be such a dire warning of imminent planetary risk? I count myself part of the growing movement of Climate Change artists and scientists.”

Alt’s Ice Melting series explores the changing forms of ice to foster awareness through the splendor of nature. The Ice Writing series is about what will be revealed as ice thaws. Messages appear in many linguistic symbols of human culture. These messages show us our history, how we got to where we are and directions for how to proceed to talk to each other regardless of linguistic. political and physical barriers. Alt’s work is about the shifting balance between water and ice.

The diverse materials that Alt has used in these series include ink, acrylic, oil paint, spray paint, epoxy resin, wax, glass, sand, plastic, glitter, salt, sugar, rocks, clay and found objects, on supports including paper, wood, panels and metal. The sizes of the pieces range from 11” x 14” – 36” x 72”.

About the Artist
Ellen Alt is a mixed media artist. She has exhibited her work in the U.S, Germany, Russia, China, England and the Middle East. One of her pieces was presented to Hillary Clinton on the occasion of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan and is in the collection of the White House. Her current work is about melting planetary ice. Alt also organizes community sculpture and mural projects throughout the world. She holds an MA in studio art from New York University and a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and lives in New York City.

For more information or to schedule a visit to see the show outside of the posted hours, please contact Ellen at ealt202@gmail.com. She can also be followed on Instagram.