College of Engineering News

Art/Science Fusion Exhibit

Posted on: September 30, 2009

When alumnus Bruce West, '73 donated money to renovate the Kemper Hall lobby, staff and faculty urged that art exhibits be part of the new area. Now, after months of change, the new lobby finally includes gallery space. The first exhibit is meant to allow engineers to reflect on creativity in new ways while relaxing in the redesigned space.

The gallery of photos represents student final projects from Photography: Bridging Art and Science (SAS 40). Taught by Professor Terry Nathan, the class is part of a larger Art/Science Fusion Program that encourages students to explore the creative common grounds between art and science.

"Back during the Renaissance period, there was no perceived difference between art and science," Nathan says. As an atmospheric scientist and photographer, Nathan attempts to communicate this attitude in his own teaching by weaving chaos theory and Einsteinian physics into his lectures on art. "My goal is to build visual literacy," he says. "No matter what we do, whether it's science or art, we work with imagery and what makes some images more compelling than others."

The Art/Science Fusion exhibit will be on view in the main lobby of Kemper Hall during fall and winter quarters.