Sleeping Beauty featuring Arcadia by Sam Nester

Sleeping Beauty invites viewers to consider the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. The exhibition features work by 7 School of Art & Design students and recent alumni who use biological materials, processes, and imagery as departure points to explore themes of transformation and the healing potential of personal communion with the natural world. Featured artists include Brianna Camp, Rebecca Jackson, Jaimee King, Garisol O’Neill, Adrian Scalzo, Michelle A. Smith, and Hannah Stokes.

On view in the adjacent gallery is a video projection of Sam Nester’s ARCADIA, a public art project housed in Mason’s hydroponic greenhouse. Arcadia ​​creates a stream of ever-changing music and light by capturing the natural biorhythms of Virginia native plants and converting them through a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) into sound and light signals.