Moss: What are we missing? The Schuylkill Center’s Bryophilia finds out

Moss is boss. At least it is to artist Marion Wilson. The photographer microscopically enlarged various moss species and those photos will be displayed in Bryophilia at the Schuylkill Center.

Moss fascinates her because it’s the first form of plant life, but overlooked, according to organizers. Her pictures give viewers the chance to look closer at something they may not even see or barely notice.

Bryophilia is the latest environmental art show at the Center, which offers several through the year. And it turns out Wilson isn’t the only one fascinated by the tiny organisms. Christina Catanese, the Center’s Director of Environmental Art, is so into it, friends find her difficult to hike with because she’s always hanging back, crouching over mossy growths.

“I have taken more photos of moss than most people would probably find reasonable,” she said on the Center’s blog. She owns more than one piece of moss jewelry and loves their scale — tiny, yet complex. “I relish encountering patches of moss that feel like entire, tiny little worlds in themselves.”

The show opens in the gallery with a reception on Saturday, June 11 from 4-6pm. A July 24 program in partnership with the Moore School of Art & Design will feature a panel discussion with Wilson and a moss walk on the Schuylkill Center grounds.