The Addison was privileged to welcome artist Anna Von Mertens this winter as Edward E. Elson Artist-in-Residence, co-sponsored by Phillips Academy’s Dean of Studies Office. During her visit, Von Mertens introduced Phillips Academy art students to science research and science students to artistic practice. Von Mertens turns her attention to everyday details and to scientific phenomena, and then filters that attention through the labor of meticulous drawings and hand-stitched quilts. Her book Attention is Discovery, published by MIT Press in 2024, is a portrait of Henrietta Leavitt (1868–1921), one of the women “computers” hired to study glass-plate astronomical photographs a century ago, and explores how Leavitt laid the foundation for modern cosmology.
Von Mertens discussed drawing as a way of looking, understanding, and building connection with students in the intro level Visual Studies art course, and she unpacked her trajectory as an artist with upper level Advanced Studio Art and Film Photography courses. Students in the Astronomy Research course gave Von Mertens a tour of the campus observatory and the ways in which they use the telescope, dome, and CCD camera to explore beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Physics 200 and Astronomy courses discussed how close looking is at the center of their disciplines in ways they hadn’t considered.
In addition to meeting with classes, Anna hosted a dinner and presentation at Phillips Academy’s Oliver Wendell Holmes Library entitled “Pathways of Noticing: Attention in Art and Science,” exploring the power of looking in scientific observation, artistic creation, and the making of meaning. Many students from earlier classes returned to hear her speak, wanting to know more about her research and the ways in which it informs her artmaking practice. Students were fascinated by the interdisciplinary nature of Von Mertens work, noting the overlap of art and science that doesn’t usually appear in their coursework. Many expressed interest in now digging deeper into this overlap, wanting to learn more about how it can help them to better understand the world around them.
The Addison’s Edward E. Elson Artist-in-Residence program plays an important role in the museum’s exhibition and education programming, energetically supporting contemporary art by bringing established and emerging artists to campus. Every year, artists are invited to produce new work in the Visiting Artist Studio, exhibit in the galleries, give public talks, collaborate with students, and/or lead discussions with students from Phillips Academy and surrounding communities. Residencies range in duration from a few days, to a series of short visits, to several months. The Addison residency program began in 1946 with Charles Sheeler and continued informally until 1982 when it was endowed through the generosity of Phillips Academy alumnus Edward E. Elson, class of 1952.
