Skip to main content

The SciArt Buzz: ScienceArt on Exhibit in July/Aug 2013

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Looking for a way to escape the summer heat? Pop into any of these galleries nationwide or abroad and get your fix of cool temps and hot sciart.

EXHIBITS: NORTHEAST REGION

WINGED TAPESTRIES: Moths at Large


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


through September 29, 2013

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West and 79th St.

New York, NY

Witness the arresting beauty and surprising diversity of moths in a presentation of more than 30 large-format prints by Canadian photographer Jim des Rivières. Des Rivières creates these larger-than-life images by scanning each moth at high resolution to reveal unexpected colors and intricate patterns.

_____________

MARSH MADNESS: Wonders of Wetlands

June 7 - July 26, 2013

Legacy Foundation Gallery

Community School of Music and Arts

Ithaca, NY

Members of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators present a sampling of some of their favorite wetlands species and habitats. Participating artists: Paula Bensadoun, Henrike Burton, Candy Cima, Marla Coppolino, Margaret Corbit, Camille Doucet, Gretchen Halpert, Phil Hutchings, Shirley Hogg, Iva Lesky, Liisa Mobley, Margy Nelson, Kathy Schlough, and Susanne Williams. Photographs are by our special guest, Daniel Elswit, of Mist, Light & Stone Photography.

_____________

COLLISION:19

June 14 to July 28, 2013

Boston CyberArts Gallery

141 Green Street

Jamaica Plain, MA

COLLISION:19 includes twenty-two artists from eight countries around the world whose work lingers at the junction of art, technology and science. Some pieces, such as Elizabeth Fuller’s Schrödinger, address our acceptance of scientific theories. Schrödinger is an exercise in frustration: the closer you approach the piece, the more difficult it is to see the subject. Others are social experiments where technology is implemented to uncover something about human behavior. This can be seen in Lauren McCarthy’s Social Turkers: Crowdsourced Relationships where Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (a website where one can hire a person to perform jobs that computers aren’t able to accomplish) gets paid to watch and give feedback on romantic dates. Chosen from an international open call, COLLISION:19 exemplifies the diverse range of work produced by artists working under the influence of technology.

_____________

Princeton University's ART of SCIENCE

through September 15, 2013

Liberty Science Center

222 Jersey City Boulevard

Jersey City, NJ

The Art of Science exhibition marks Princeton University's 6th annual competition for images that explore the interplay between science and art. Both of these disciplines involve the pursuit of those moments of discovery when what is perceived suddenly becomes more than the sum of its parts. Each piece in this exhibition is, in its own way, a record of such a moment. These 44 extraordinary images are not art for art's sake. Rather, they were produced during the course of scientific research. For those not able to make it to New Jersey to view the exhibition in person, the images and the science behind them can be viewed online.

_____________

EXHIBITS: SOUTH

BIRDS IN ART

May 25 to August 18, 2013

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture

University of Tennessee

Knoxville, TN

Since 1976, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum has organized Birds in Art annually, seeking to present the very best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. This touring exhibit presents original paintings, sculptures, and graphics created in the last two years by artists from the world over, and celebrates the timeless appeal of birds through fresh artistic interpretations. Visitors can expect such works as: the sleek warmth of Lucinda Kate McEachern’s bronze plumed whistling duck; the stark contrast of a bulbul bird against rusted rebar in a Karl Taylor acrylic painting; and Hubert the bright-eyed screech owl in charcoal and ink on paper by Karen Bondarchuk.

_____________

EXHIBITS: MIDWEST

ART UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Bioartography Quilts

June 3 - August 31, 2013

Center for Care and Discovery

University of Chicago Hospitals

5841 S. Maryland Avenue

Chicago, IL

A collection of 16 textured quilts inspired by scientific photographs of biological structures is being exhibited at the Center for Care and Discovery, marking the beginning of a series of art installations set for the new hospital pavilion. Photomicrographs taken by researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Organogenesis inspired each of the quilts in the exhibit. Washington, D.C.,-area art quilters from a group called Fiber Artists @ Loose Ends emulated the researchers’ photomicrographs using fabrics such as suede, tulle and satin embellished with glass beads, crystals and embroidery to make textile renditions of the microscopic blood vessels, skin cells, retinas and other human and animal tissues.

_____________

ANIMAL INSIDE OUT: A Body Worlds Production

March 14 - September 2, 2013

Museum of Science and Industry

5700 S. Lakeshore Drive

Chicago, IL

This exhibit, from anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens—creator of the trailblazing Body Worlds exhibitions—showcases amazing animal specimens preserved through the process of plastination, which replaces the body's fluids with plastics to incredibly detailed effect. From goats to giraffes and octopuses to ostriches, you'll see the inner workings of some of the world's most impressive animals and better understand the evolution of animals and the natural world.

_____________

FRAGILE ENDURANCE: Work by Kate MacDowell

February 10 - September 22, 2013

John Michael Kohler Arts Center

608 New York Avenue

Sheboygan, WI

FRAGILE ENDURANCE explores the friction and discomfort in man’s relationship with nature. These works raise the question of our own vulnerability within changing ecological systems. Kate MacDowell’s choices of material and subject matter respond to environmental stressors such as climate change and species extinction. Her case studies of two extinct species—the Costa Rican golden toad and the passenger pigeon—can be seen as thoughtful records of lost life forms and commentaries on our own culpability.

**Kate MacDowell's work was previously featured on Symbiartic in Conservation Conversation in Clay.

_____________

EXHIBITS: WEST

RUNNING WILD

June 1 - July 13, 2013

Anthology Fine Art Gallery

635 Santa Fe Drive

Denver, CO

Patrick Maxcy is a painter, illustrator, and muralist who is fascinated by the natural world. His exhibit, Running Wild, showcases his back-to-the-basics drawing chops and his flair for telling compelling stories. His drawings are worth the trip alone for any appreciator of art, but if you’re a fellow science geek, he will win you over instantly with his depictions of hairy yeti crabs, giant tube worms, and his liberal use of cephalopods.

**Patrick Maxcy's work was previously featured on Symbiartic in You Had Me At Hydrothermal Vent Worms.

_____________

THE ART OF RECOLOGY

May 16 - October 27, 2013

F2 – North Connect Gallery

San Francisco International Airport,

United Airlines Terminal (Terminal 3)

San Francisco, CA

This exhibition celebrates the Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence Program and presents over one-hundred pieces made by forty-five artists. Founded in 1990, the Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence Program promotes recycling and reuse, and encourages people to reflect on how their consumption practices affect the environment. All of the works on display were made in the art studio at the San Francisco Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Facility and constructed from materials the artists scavenged from the Public Disposal and Recycling Area (or what we affectionately refer to as "the dump").

_____________

New Paintings by KEVIN SLOAN

July 28 - August 10, 2013

William Havu Gallery

1040 Cherokee Street

Denver, CO

**Kevin Sloan's work was previously featured on Symbiartic in What Would Audubon Paint Today?

_____________

EXHIBITS: ABROAD

Martin Klimas: SONIC SCULPTURES

April 10 - July 6, 2013

The Landestheater

Linz, Austria

To celebrate the opening of a new opera house in Linz, Austria, artist Martin Klimas is exhibiting 20 photographs of his SONIC sculptures. To create these lively jaunts of color, Klimas droped paint on a thin membrane and subjected it to music by Paul Hindemith, Carl Orff, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mouse on Mars, Kraftwerk and more. What does music look like? This is one interpretation.

_____________

Susan Aldworth: TRANSIENCE

June 6 - July 20, 2013

GV Art Gallery

49 Chiltern Street, Marylebone

London, England

"Could I translate the physicality of the brain into an artwork? It would be the ultimate portrait of someone made from the authentic marks of the physical brain itself." --Susan Aldworth 2013

This solo exhibition includes ground breaking work by the artist Susan Aldworth as she continues her investigations into the relationship between mind and body. Since 1999, Aldworth, an experimental print and film maker who combines digital photography and state of the art medical imagery in her work, has explored the depths of consciousness and the transience of self. Her persistent fascination with the physical brain has led to a new body of work which has evolved using techniques from the most traditional to the more radical, as shown in this exhibition. In Transience Aldworth explores the brain as matter and has made a suite of prints – a historical first - etching directly from human brain tissue.

_____________

THE ART OF SCIENCE: Scientific Illustrations from Museum Victoria

June 01, 2013 - July 21, 2013

Art Gallery of Ballarat

40 Lydiard Street North

Ballarat, Victoria AUSTRALIA

Whether they fly, swim, crawl, wiggle or walk, we are endlessly fascinated and inspired by the creatures of our world.The Art of Scienceshowcases the uncommon beauty produced from 300 years of exacting scientific observation and illustration. As exploration and science have expanded our horizons across time and space, the ability to capture and communicate the truths held in nature have become increasingly important. Scientific artwork is as important and astonishing today as it was in the 18th century. In this exquisite exhibition Museum Victoria presents the development of scientific art from the State museum's seldom seen collection of artworks and rare books, and stunning images produced with microscopes, macro-lenses, and computers.

_____________

EXHIBITS: ONLINE

Science Art-Nature's WINDOWS ON EVOLUTION: An Artistic Celebration of Charles Darwin

The University of Tennessee's EARLY IMAGES OF EGYPT: Selected Images of Egypt in the Photographic Archive Collection of the Frank H. McClung Museum

Know of something we haven't listed here? Send me an email at symbiartic (dot) km (at) gmail (dot) com, or tweet me @eyeforscience with the deets. If it's scienceart related, it's fair game.