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Start 2014 in Style With These ScienceArt Exhibits

All in all, 2013 was a bang-up year for science art. It seems the genre is gaining ground as more and more exhibits tackle the fascinating possibilities that exist at the intersection of science and art.

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


All in all, 2013 was a bang-up year for science art. It seems the genre is gaining ground as more and more exhibits tackle the fascinating possibilities that exist at the intersection of science and art. 2014 seems to be continuing the trend with a wide array of notably longer exhibits. Enjoy!

EXHIBITS: NORTHEAST REGION

JAMES PROSEK: The Spaces in Between


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September 2013 - January 5, 2014

Addison Gallery of American Art

Phillips Academy

Andover, MA

On view now, James Prosek: The Spaces in Between showcases the exquisitely crafted and thought-provoking work of James Prosek, which questions accepted notions of how we understand and interpret the natural world. Prosek is Addison's current Edward E. Elson Artist-in-Residence.

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Beauty and the Brain Revealed

October 28, 2013 - January 3, 2014

AAAS Art Gallery

1200 New York Ave. NW

Washington, DC

Why do we find some works of art so appealing? The exhibition Beauty and the Brain Revealed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science builds on a 2010 collaboration between the Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute at the Johns Hopkins University and the Walters Art Museum to examine how the brain perceives abstract sculpture. Put on a pair of 3D glasses to explore digitally morphed versions of sculpture and learn how 3D shape characteristics relate to your own aesthetic preferences!

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CLIMATE CHANGE IN OUR WORLD: Photographs by Gary Braasch

October 16, 2013 - July 6, 2014

Museum of Science

1 Science Park

Boston, MA

We have made the world of today. Human population growth, energy use, agricultural methods, and land development have all had a measurable effect on our climate. Our activities have raised the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to its highest level in millions of years. The average temperature is climbing out of the range in which living species evolved and is now affecting sea level, ocean acidity, and water availability. Melting ice caps and glaciers, as well as weather extremes, have also resulted from this phenomenon. Although we are already experiencing climate change, we have many options to moderate it and limit its effects, with prompt action curtailing further drastic consequences.

View the works of environmental photojournalist Gary Braasch to observe how climate change is altering our planet. You'll also see how humans are working to slow these changes through alternative energy use and conservation.

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SENSING CHANGE

July 1, 2013 - May 2, 2014

Chemical Heritage Foundation Gallery

315 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA

Sensing Change, an initiative of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, invites us to explore and respond to daily shifts in our environment as well as long-term climate change. Sensing Change is inspired by scientific investigations, historical accounts, and direct observations of the natural world. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook using #SensingChange.

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The Peacock and the Cobra: James Prosek among the Arts of South Asia

through April, 2014

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Gallery 227

Philadelphia, PA

Explore a portfolio by contemporary artist and naturalist James Prosek amid a variety of painted pages and other objects from India and Pakistan. Presented as an oversize, colonial-era matchbox, The Peacock and the Cobra portfolio invokes ideas and images from the subcontinent while playfully inverting the documentary tradition of natural history painting.

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OUT OF HAND: Materializing the Postdigital

October 16, 2013 - July 6, 2014

Museum of Arts and Design

2 Columbus Circle

New York, NY

Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital will explore the many areas of 21st-century creativity made possible by advanced methods of computer-assisted production known as digital fabrication. In today’s postdigital world, artists are using these means to achieve levels of expression never before possible – an explosive, unprecedented scope of artistic expression that extends from sculptural fantasy to functional beauty. Out of Hand will be the first major museum exhibition to examine this interdisciplinary trend through the pioneering works of more than 80 international artists, architects, and designers.

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NATURAL HISTORIES: 400 Years of Scientific Illustration from the Museum’s Library

October 19, 2013 - October 12, 2014

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street

New York, NY

Featuring scientific illustrations spanning five centuries, the new exhibition Natural Histories: 400 Years of Scientific Illustration from the Museum’s Library explores the integral role illustration has played in scientific discovery through 50 striking, large-format reproductions from seminal holdings in the Museum Library’s Rare Book collection. Artists include Albrecht Dürer, Joseph Wolf, Moses Harris, John Woodhouse Audubon, and Maria Sibylla Merian.

EXHIBITS: SOUTH

SUZANNE ANKER: While Darkness Sleeps

January 11 - March 1, 2014

The McKinney Avenue Contemporary

3120 McKinney Avenue

Dallas, TX

From microscopes to video animations to time-lapse photography to rapid prototyped sculpture, While Darkness Sleeps is an ode to nature’s delicacy and decay. While high technology tools extend our vision to access sites yet unknown, at the same time such intrusions can be dire. With images garnered from marine research centers such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and MOTE Marine Laboratory, on Summerland Key in Florida, and the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico these images and objects talk at once to a scientific imaginary fused with cultural necessity. How we perceive the natural world is tantamount to discovery. How we re-imagine the living world as an interconnected network fuses what was once science fiction to the real.

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BIRDS OF PARADISE: Amazing Avian Evolution

October 13, 2013 – March 23, 2014

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

11 West Jones St.

Raleigh, NC

Found only in New Guinea and parts of Australia, birds-of-paradise are a case study in the power of evolution. Their fantastic plumes and bizarre courtship displays are a result of millions of years of sexual selection at work in an environment with plentiful food and no natural predators.

In 2004, Cornell University scientist Edwin Scholes and National Geographic photographer Tim Laman set out to complete the first comprehensive study of all birds-of-paradise. After 8 years and 18 expeditions they have amassed photographic and video coverage of all 39 known species and documented several new behaviors. Fascinating stories of groundbreaking research and adventure paired with amazing footage and photography are the foundation of this highly interactive exhibition. “Birds of Paradise” captures these unique species, with stunning imagery, compelling video, soundscapes, artifacts, and engaging educational activities for all ages.

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Teaming with Nature: James Prosek

October 25, 2013 – January 30, 2014

National Sporting Library & Museum

102 The Plains Road

Middleburg, VA

On public display for the first time are selected watercolors painted by contemporary artist, writer, naturalist and conservationist James Prosek for the latest edition of his book Trout of the World, issued March 2013. The watercolors are presented with rare books selected by Prosek from the NSLM collection that illustrate the legacy he honors and challenges. Trout of the World led Prosek to undertake a naming inquiry that has confronted 19th century ideas of taxonomy in favor of seeing a more fluid world that emphasizes diversity.

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SCIENCE & ART

October 11, 2013 - January 4, 2014

Center for the Arts Bonita Springs

26100 Old US 41 Road

Bonita Springs, FL

This incredible traveling exhibition encourages visitors to “listen to their inner scientist and indulge their inner artist.” The hands-on, interactive experience illustrates how science and art intersect in real life. Explore extaordinary Origami, wearable computers, 1-Bit music compositions, the difference between macro, micro and nano-scale and much more. A great exhibition for all ages, “Science & Art” will open your mind to the beauty and wonder all around us.

EXHIBITS: MIDWEST

BATRACHOLOGY: Amphibians in Art

January 18 - April 13, 2014

Midland Center for the Arts

1801 W. St. Andrews

Midland, MI

Alongside a live exhibit devoted to the diversity of frogs will be two exhibits featuring work by artists fascinated by the study of amphibians: Batrachology: Amphibians in Art and Nature's Fading Chorus: The Works of Brandon Ballengee. Ballengee uses high-resolution scanner photography to create large-scale portraits of frogs that document his ecological studies and increase the public's understanding of his work.

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CREATURES OF LIGHT: Nature's Bioluminescence

March 7 - January 5, 2014

Field Museum of Natural History

1400 S. Lakeshore Drive

Chicago, IL

Have you ever captured a glowing firefly? On a warm summer evening, its light seems rare and magical, yet there are thousands of other living things that blink, glow, flash, and flicker. Creatures of Light delves into the mysterious world of bioluminescence – from the glowworms dangling from the ceiling of New Zealand’s famous Waitomo Caves, to the deep-sea fishes that illuminate the perpetually dark depths of the oceans. Discover the variety of ways in which light is used to attract a mate, lure unsuspecting prey, or defend against a predator, and see how scientists study this amazing ability to glow. Immerse yourself in these magical environments and revel in the beauty of this remarkable natural phenomenon, only at The Field Museum.

EXHIBITS: WEST

ABOVE AND BELOW: Stories From Our Changing Bay

August 31, 2013 – February 23, 2014

Oakland Museum of California

1000 Oak Street

Oakland, CA

Above and Below: Stories From Our Changing Bay unveils the quirky stories of how people and nature together have shaped the San Francisco Bay Area over the last 6,000 years. The first major exhibition to be presented with all three of OMCA’s transformed galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences open to the public, the exhibition highlights historic and contemporary place-based stories about the Bay, and engages viewers in discussions about the Bay’s future. Through an extensive use of media featuring oral histories, community voices, and interactives, the exhibition explores how human engineering and natural forces have come together over time to shape and reshape the land and water around the San Francisco Bay, and how sea-level rise, wetlands restoration, invasive species, and climate change are central topics in determining the future of the Bay.

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The Photography Of Modernist Cuisine: The Exhibition

October 26, 2013 - February 17, 2014

Pacific Science Center

200 Second Avenue North

Seattle, WA

Introducing The Photography of Modernist Cuisine: The Exhibition, a showcase of the stunning imagery produced by Nathan Myhrvold and his team at The Cooking Lab. It offers visitors a unique perspective on food in which the aesthetic beauty of plants, animals and cooking phenomena illuminates the fascinating, accessible science at work in our kitchens every day. With 100 large-scale images, guests will witness and explore the science of food through the lens of photography. See the fractal structures and mesmerizing color gradations of vitamin C crystals through research microscopes with special filters that polarize light. Learn about the physics that propels and explodes a bursting kernel of popcorn through the lens of a high-speed video camera that slows down the action by a factor of 200. This unprecedented collection of captivating images uses these innovations and other advanced technologies to show the world of food from a whole new angle.

EXHIBITS: ABROAD

CARBON 14: Climate is Culture

through February 2, 2014

Royal Ontario Museum

100 Queen’s Park

Toronto, Ontario CANADA

Experience the power of science and art with the premiere of Carbon 14: Climate is Culture at the ROM. Curated by David Buckland and Claire L. Sykes, and produced by Cape Farewell in partnership with ROM Contemporary Culture, Carbon 14: Climate is Culture explores the growing global issue of climate change through the eyes of scientists, artists and cultural informers. Art and science come together in this engaging and provocative exhibition, two years in the making.

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.