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Exhibit explores artistic innovation and scientific discovery
Nature (Re)Made: Genomics and Art, an exhibit which combines elements from science and the arts, will run Nov. 1 – Dec. 7 in the Williams Center for the Arts Gallery.
Artist Ellen K. Levy will present a lecture entitled “Art in the Age of Biotechnology” at 4:10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in the Williams Center room 108, to be followed by an exhibit reception from 5 – 6 p.m. Environmental artist Brandon Balleng�e will present “Monstres Sacr�s: Biological Abstractions Sculpted by a Changing Environment” at 4:10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 in room 108. He will also will lead eco-action environmental field trips to the Merrill Creek Reservoir, Washington, N.J., on Nov. 8 and 9. Reservations are required.
Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information, contact Michiko Okaya, director of Lafayette art galleries, at x5361 or email.
Knee Deep & Risin’ Exhibit Runs in the Williams Visual Arts Building Nov. 4 – Dec. 20
According to Okaya, a growing number of artists have been investigating genomes, the genetic material of an organism; genomics, the study of all genetic information of an organism; and biotechnology, the manipulation of genetic materials to create beneficial products. Nature (Re)Made addresses issues springing from the genomic revolution and is presented in conjunction with the Nov. 14 performance of Ferocious Beauty: Genome by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Like Lerman, the artists in Nature (Re)Made conduct explorations that revolve around genetic research and raise questions in consequential areas such as the environment, health care, and privacy.
Artists and works include: Ellen K. Levy, layered digital and painted pieces exploring biotechnology and the oil industry; Brandon Balleng�e, environmental art–ecological research projects; Kathy High, photography examining the relationship between laboratory research rats and their human caretakers; Larry Miller, works focusing on human cloning and the individual right of identity ownership; George Gessert, exhibitions about plant breeding and the role of human aesthetics as an evolutionary factor; Patricia Olynyk, electron microphotography and traditional photography investigating the relationships among human culture, science, and the environment; Susan Kaprov, computer-generated images of theoretical food hybrids stemming from genetically engineered food; and the Critical Art Ensemble, a five-artist collection exploring the intersection of art, technology, critical theory, and political activism.
The exhibition is also linked to the Class of 2012 summer orientation reading of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, and the Corn on the Quad environmental sustainability project. Both take a look at the interaction between humans and food and the Critical Art Ensemble features artists who investigate genetically modified foods.
The Williams Center Gallery is presented under provisions of the Detwiller Endowment. The Williams Center and Grossman Galleries are funded in part through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.