Elle Northwood
Elle grew up in the mountains of the Northwest, therefore, the forests and rivers are always calling to them, wherever they are. These days, home is Columbus Ohio, where she is raising two humans and building a life from the ground up, both personally and professionally. It’s been a grassroots effort and has taught them that almost everything worth having grows through relationships. She cares deeply about community and is constantly trying to show up for hers - to build, to learn and to grow alongside the people around her. She enjoys being active, having strong opinions about drive-though coffee stands, and prefers to be outside.
The Parts That Make Up The Whole
Visual Artist
Elle is a conceptual sculptor exploring human connection, reflection, and expression. Art became a language for her when she realized it could carry concepts and feelings in visual form, and has been drawn to three-dimensional work ever since. Inspired by the natural world and human experience, she takes phrases used to describe what living feels like and builds visual interpretations of them. Elle uses familiar, recognizable elements to draw viewers in, then hope they reflect on the subject and on how they connect with what's in front of them.
Curator & Installer
For the past five years, they’ve worked as a professional art installer across Columbus, with experience spanning both traditional galleries and non-traditional spaces, including pop-up galleries and events. Having operated in different roles, Elle has curated, installed, supported artists relationships while expanding local three-dimensional art opportunities. They have also led workshops on installation and curation for local programs.
Community Connector
Elle is often described as an authentic grassroots networker in the Columbus arts community. They float around different arts groups and neighborhoods, connecting with artists and facilitators, often turning those connections into opportunities for local artists. Their approach is simple: show up. That might mean helping with operations for arts neighborhood events, mentoring through local programs, attending gallery openings and artist open studios, or dropping into networking events. Showing up and helping, again and again, has built a strong network of artists and connected them with projects.