CRYSTAL AM NELSON is a photo and text based mixed-media artist whose work has been described as "sensual, rounded" and full of "so much truth." Nelson is originally from Rhode Island; however, she has lived as far west as California and as far east as South Africa. Her exposure to different cultures and lifestyles operates as the foundation for her visual and textual exploration of identity. She has been actively involved in art since she was a child, and began her formal studies in middle school when she participated in a teen art program at the Rhode Island School of Design. Since then she has formally and informally studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design, University of Rhode Island, University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, AS220, and the International Center of Photography. She has exhibited in Providence, South Africa, New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco.