- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
One of the names proposed is the Da Vinci Institute.
To discuss the concept, a colloquium will take place from 1 to 5 p.m., Monday, March 16 in Room 3001 of the Plant Environmental Sciences Building. A reception will follow the discussions from 5 to 6 p.m.
"The program for the afternoon is designed to engage the scholars, scientists, and artists of the UC Davis community," said entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor of entomology in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. "What is the potential for a Da Vinci Institute on our campus? What kinds of program could such an institute generate?"
The keynote speaker will be Roger Malina, distinguished professor of art and technology, and professor of physics at the University of Texas (UT), Dallas. Since 1982, he has served as executive editor of the Leonardo Publications at MIT Press. He founded, and serves on the board of two nonprofits, Leonardo/ISAST in San Francisco and OLATS in Paris, which advocate and document the work of artists involved in contemporary science and technology.
Leonardo/ISAST is an acronym for the Leonardo/International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology. OLATS is an acronym for Observatoire Leonardo pour les Arts et les Techno-Sciences.
Malina founded the ArtSciLab in the ATEC Program at UT Dallas in the fall of 2013. This transdisciplinary research lab hosts projects which involve in-depth collaboration between artists and scientists; the aim of the lab is to carry out research which results in art works, scientific data analysis tools, a technology testbed. In addition, the lab develops education activities involving the integration of the arts, design and humanities in science, technology, education and mathematics (STEAM).
The program agenda:
1:00-1:15 Introduction and Goals (Diane Ullman)
1:15-2:15 Keynote Address and Q&A (Roger Malina)
2:15-2:30 BREAK
2:30-3:00 Discussion Breakout Sessions Facilitated By Organizers
3:00-3:30 Large Group Summary Facilitated by Roger Malina and Diane Ullman
3:30-4:00 Discussion Breakout Sessions Facilitated By Organizers
4:00-4:30 Large Group Summary Facilitated by Roger Malina and Diane Ullman
4:30-5:00 Final Thoughts from Roger Malina and Next Steps (Organizers)
5:00-6:00 Reception
Those involved in the formation of the UC Davis based-project include
- Diane Ullman, professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, who co-founded and co-directed the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program
- Terry Nathan, professor of atmospheric science, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
- Wendy Silk, professor emerita of the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and distinguished art scientist
- Colin Milburn, Gary Snyder Chair in Science and the Humanities; and professor of English, Science and Technology, and Cinema and Technocultural Studies, Department of English
- Petr Janata, professor in the Department of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain.
- Youngsuk Suh, co-chair of the Department of Art and Art History and associate professor of art
- Robin Hill, professor, Art Studio, Department of Art and Art History
- Timothy Hyde, assistant professor of art, Art Studio, Department of Art and Art History
- James Housefield. assistant professor of design, Department of Art and Art History
Those planning to attend should RSVP Diane Ullman at deullman@ucdavis.edu by March 14.
About Leonardo da Vinci: Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived. His genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man, a man of "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination." According to art historian Helen Gardner, the scope and depth of his interests were without precedent and "his mind and personality seem to us superhuman, the man himself mysterious and remote."--Wikipedia.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The exhibit features 50 student photographs exploring the conceptual
connections between art and science and the role of art and science on the UC Davis campus. The opening reception, which is free and open to the public, is Thursday, June 6 from 3 to 5 p.m.
The UC Davis Art Science and Fusion Program, co-founded and co-directed by entomologist/artist Diane Ullman and artist Donna Billick. Ullman is the associate dean of undergraduate academic programs in the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UC Davis professor of entomology, and Billick is a self-described rock artist whose work has been shown throughout the world.
The UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, launched in 1997, helps students reach across disciplines to learn science through art, and art through science, Ullman said. Each course focuses on key areas of biology, physics or environmental science and expressive art media, including ceramics, graphics, textiles, photography, poetry and music.
Of his course, “Photography, Bridging Art and Science,” Nathan says: “Beginning with centuries-old experiments in optics and chemistry to the present-day digital revolution, the camera has relied on science for itsdevelopment while also serving as a vital scientific tool for probing and documenting the natural world. In the hands of the artist, the camera has heightened our awareness of the aesthetic qualities of space and light while revealing hidden truths about culture and society."
“In this art/science fusion course (SAS 40), students use photography to explore the common ground occupied by art and science. Two lectures each week address topics such as the art and science roots of photography; principles of space, time and light; Gestalt psychology meets Einsteinian physics in photographic composition; the geometric foundations of art and science; order versus disorder; and photographic interpretation of the environment. One studio session each week builds visual literacy skills through hands-on photography projects. This final student exhibition highlights the learning and creativity that emerges when students explore the intellectual realm shared by art and science.”
Nathan is a professor in the Atmospheric Science Program of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, as well as a professor in the Art/Science Fusion Program and the Graduate Program in Applied Mathematics.
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