Second collaboration with Tiny Room for Elephants brings the work of Priscilla Bell to Independence Blue Cross

Independence Blue Cross (Independence) has once again partnered with Philadelphia-based Tiny Room for Elephants (TRFE) to enliven the insurer’s Market Street headquarters with locally sourced and created art. In March, a 10-portrait series from Priscilla Bell, an artist with TRFE, debuted on a high-traffic floor in the Joseph A. Frick Conference and Learning Center.

The artist’s perspective

Bell’s Connected Nature series includes 10 portraits that she hopes will spark conversations about how people can positively impact the environment and climate through interactions.

“To develop these portraits, I asked those sitting for me to think about their favorite plant(s) and/or tree(s) and explain why it is their favorite and share a story of the connection they have to them. Then, I painted the portrait incorporating their favorite plant (or tree) with their story in mind,” Bell said.

Supporting local artists

Independence is committed to providing artists from every segment of the region’s diverse society the opportunity to exhibit, celebrate, and promote their work in its headquarters where it can engage and inspire both visitors and associates.

Prior to Bell’s installation, Independence curated the art of another Philadelphia artist: Serena Saunders. The theme for Saunders’ 10-painting collection — Everything is Many Things — celebrated the beauty of the many stages of a painting using a vibrant and broad color palette.

 

Pictured left to right: Nicole Pfizenmayer, Independence Blue Cross Creative Services; Tet Ndeti, Independence Blue Cross Creative Services; YaYa Horne, Tiny Room for Elephants; Gina Naccarato-Reed, Independence Blue Cross Workplace Services; Priscilla Bell, Tiny Room for Elephants; Mary Farley, Independence Blue Cross Creative Services

 

Pictured left to right: YaYa Horne and Priscilla Bell, Tiny Room for Elephants