Mackenzie Thomas
Staff Writer
Science Loves Art, which became an official nonprofit organization in 2018, works to unite scientists and artists with the common goal of engaging children in both fields.
Science Loves Art utilizes pop-up exhibits, online interactions and organized events to help bring the art community and the science community together. Through virtual and physical interactions, Science Loves Art has been able to create ways for community children to discover and get involved with both of these fields.
“The benefit of combining science and art is that art is an approachable and inviting means to conversation. We can all see art and have a reaction to it, an emotional response. It speaks to us in a way that promotes conversation,” said Emily Vercoe, the Education, Outreach and Diversity Coordinator that works with the Wyoming Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
One of the main focuses of Science Loves Art is their kits. The Science Loves Art kits create ways for groups or individuals to get involved with a portable version of the Science Loves Art Studio.
These kits help further involve the community because the kits can be distributed to multiple areas, including after school care and groups that would otherwise be unable to fund art based activities.
In 2019, Science Loves Art was able to host and organize multiple events thanks to sponsors who aided the nonprofit organization. Science Loves Art hosted a Speed Art-ing Event, a Microbe inspired Improv Show and a Fermentation Festival.
These events hosted and organized by Science Loves Art were made possible by community sponsors. The City of Laramie, Wyoming Arts Council and Wyoming EPSCoR all helped make the events and exhibits possible for Science Loves Art.
The University of Wyoming received a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation and a branch connected to it called EPSCoR. Wyoming EPSCoR worked to distribute these funds given by the grant.
The grant will focus on the study of microbiomes, which are composed of microorganisms in a specific environment, and how different microbiome regions respond and react to different disturbances within their environment. However, in order to connect to local communities, Wyoming EPSCoR asked for help from the Wyoming community.
“We put out a call for anybody within the state for outreach with microbiomes and Rene Williams, who founded Science Loves Art, reached out and put a propal in,” said Vercoe.
Due to Science Loves Art having an extended outreach across the entire state of Wyoming, Wyoming EPSCoR partnered with them in order to bring both science and art to communities that would not normally get exposure to those fields.
“We try to make science interesting and compelling across the state, and this is one of the many reasons we got involved with Science Loves Art. They have connections across the state and we don’t. We want to make science approachable and Science Loves Art does this,” said Vercoe.
The goal of the partnership is to also educate and inform the communities across Wyoming about why these two fields are important. Connecting these two fields would also help communities better understand science through art.
“Connecting art to science can open more conversations whereas typical science conversations aren’t always as welcome. Art invokes and invites conversation in a way that science does not. It’s a lovely way to introduce people to the concept of science and connect them to science. The connection is open and inviting,” Vercoe said.
When science meets art, connections between the two fields help get community children involved in discovering and creating.
