USU art and science mashup evokes DaVinci - Standard-Examiner

LOGAN - Leonardo DaVinci was an artist and a scientist, interweaving his research and creations.

'The way I look at it, both science and art share the necessity of undertaking imaginative inquiry into what is perceived as beauty and truth,' said Mark Lee Koven, assistant professor of art at Utah State University. 'Both work from intuition.'

Koven believes artists and scientists can benefit from working together, in terms of having an alternate perspective and therefore being able to see their work in a more complex manner.

To encourage exploration and sharing across disciplines, Koven worked with Nancy Huntly, a USU biology professor, to design 'ARTsySTEM.'

'ARTsySTEM' is a semester-long project, bringing artists together with scientists and mathematicians to learn and create. The project is funded by a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and another $66,000 from the Tanner Trust for Utah Universities, the Marie Eccles Cain-Russell Family Foundation, and various USU departments.

'I've wanted to do this type of project for the last decade,' said Koven, by phone from Atlanta, on his way home from an art event in Miami. 'This happens to be the right place, and the right time.'

It's a happy coincidence that Koven decided to focus the project on water and ecology at the same time that USU declared it the 'Year of Water' on campus.

'ARTsySTEM' kicks off at 5 p.m. Jan. 22, when artist Andrea Polli visits the campus and unveils a large-scale artwork called 'Particle Falls,' which is a real-time visual interpretation of air quality data.

Programming continues with a joint artist and science residency, which will result in the creation of a public work of art with a scientific/ecology focus.

'My own research deals with combining art and science, not just at the tail end, but also at the instigation of a project,' Koven said, adding that he's always been interested in using art not just as a visual interpretation of science, but as a tool in the science world.

Koven is the team leader for the art project, which will be designed and created over the course of the semester, but he doesn't know what it will be.

'Ultimately, it's a collaboration between myself, the scientists and artists, and students,' he said.

An ongoing lecture series will bring visiting scholars to campus.

'Up to about nine different artists and scientists are coming in throughout the semester, doing everything from public lectures to workshops to showcasing some of their own artwork,' he said.

There will also be an art and science course focusing on biodiversity.

Formal art exhibits open on campus on March 19, including 'ARTsySTEM: The Changing Climates of the Arts and Sciences' in the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, and 'Works by Allison Kudla,' in the Tippets Gallery. Kudla, of Seattle, combines fabrication technologies and plant tissue cultures to make art.

An art and science symposium will be held April 16-17. There will be presentations, panel discussions and meals where people can get together and exchange information and ideas.

'We're looking to create the potential for artists, scientists and designers to work together to look at global problems,' Koven said, explaining that such exchanges could result in new directions for research, and opportunities for people to work outside of their normal field. 'We're trying to provide students, researchers and community members the opportunity to learn about the benefits of artists and scientists learn ... whatever question of truth or beauty they're trying to get to the bottom of.'

Koven hopes to make ARTsySTEM a biennial event, incorporating different branches of science and technology.

'This year is science and math,' he said. 'In two years I want it to be technology and engineering.'

For more information, see ARTsySTEM on Facebook.

Contact reporter Becky Wright at 801-625-4274 or bwright@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @ReporterBWright. Entities 0 Name: Koven Count: 8 1 Name: USU Count: 3 2 Name: Becky Wright Count: 1 3 Name: Allison Kudla Count: 1 4 Name: Miami Count: 1 5 Name: Utah State University Count: 1 6 Name: Mark Lee Koven Count: 1 7 Name: Andrea Polli Count: 1 8 Name: National Endowment for the Arts Count: 1 9 Name: Tanner Trust for Utah Universities Count: 1 10 Name: LOGAN Count: 1 11 Name: Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art Count: 1 12 Name: Kudla Count: 1 13 Name: Marie Eccles Cain-Russell Family Foundation Count: 1 14 Name: Nancy Huntly Count: 1 15 Name: Seattle Count: 1 16 Name: Leonardo DaVinci Count: 1 17 Name: Atlanta Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1B9MfQG Title: The 19 Best Art Shows of 2014 Description: 1. Emma Sulkowicz, Carry That Weight, at Columbia University Art is born of many things, among them righteous indignation, messianic rage, and the drive for justice. Emma Sulkowicz's powerful performance piece Carry That Weight comes from all these places and from great activist art as well, highlighting not just her trauma but the way Columbia turned a blind eye to it.

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