|
Meet this week's guest editor, Ellyn Parker! An artist, writer, and community connector, Ellyn champions the power of nature, creativity, and the arts to foster healing, connection, and community vitality. Growing up outside Lynchburg, in a log cabin by a lake with parents who were public school teachers, Ellyn developed a lifelong love for the Blue Ridge Mountains and for learning. She recently pursued advanced research in Arts in Health through the University of Florida’s Arts in Medicine program, delving into social prescribing—the idea that access to arts, nature, and social connection is essential to wellbeing.
After spending over two decades in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she raised her daughter, owned an art gallery, and became involved in community activism, Ellyn found herself working in government as a community development specialist. For nine years, she led programs that boosted economic development in the nightlife and maker industries, using arts as a bridge to bring people together. Since returning to Virginia in 2015, Ellyn served as the Public Art Coordinator for the City of Richmond and curated exhibits for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Now, as a public art and creative economy consultant, she is passionate about helping others bring creative visions to life.
Take it away, Ellyn ...
|
