Eye-Catching Colors and Patterns

I really want to catch people's attention when they pass by the exhibits

with bright colors and bold patterns, they also goes with my overriding

*BAM* message that science is relevant, interesting, and beautiful.

The four Biology for the Season displays will have corresponding palettes.

Here are Winter and Spring...

...Summer and Autumn.

The Nature of Science colors are pearly almost-pastels with some reflectivity

that will be paired with white canvases, black & gilded calligraphy

and black ink & watercolor illuminations.

The Art of Nature colors are over-the-top bold, these will be the most

playful displays, with art ranging from stamps, to weaving, to dioramas,

and even painted eggs.

The Natural History of Teaching displays will have strong patterns to

offset lacking direct lighting.

Display Case Layouts

Over the next year, I'm planning on having 13 different exhibits on

display in four different display spaces, matched up with our three biology

classes (BI 101, 102, and 103).  I feel like a beginning art student

planning my thesis gallery show.  Very exciting!

The toughest displays may be the two windows that will feature

things to do indoors and outdoors during different seasons.  Each

display will be up three weeks or more, but will have to be

dismantled and stored afterwards for a full year.

A new lighted display is coming for the three Nature of Science exhibits.

Since it will have 4" depth, I need to be a bit creative on 3D layout.

Three different cases will hold the Natural History of Teaching exhibits.

They don't have lights, so I'm thinking of using striking patterns to

catch the eye.

The real highlight will be the Art of Nature exhibits in two different display

cases.  They will be bright, bold, and 3D in the larger of the two cases.

I have a ridiculously large number of art ideas, and have a feeling
the displays are going to end up a bit crowded :).

In the mean time I am posting "Coming Soon" notes and place-holding

art in the displays, they need to be done by specific dates so students

can view them as part of their classwork.

That's a huge case...Gulp!

Nature of Science Themes

Project #1 this year is illuminating science characteristics;

selecting statements about science and finding objects that

pictorially support each statement.  Basically I'm packaging

 each message in a painting with illuminated calligraphy. The

statements are organized under four science themes:

Scientific Knowledge,

Scientific Inquiry,

Connections with other Disciplines,

 and the Science Community.

For instance,under Scientific Knowledge, one of the statements is

"Scientific Knowledge is Durable" and the three representative objects

are a rock (stability), a ruler (approximation), and an old microscope

(modification). Eventually a course website link will elaborate on

each of these ideas.

I 've written my 28 statements, and am now selecting the objects that

symbolically support these ideas, developing a separate page layout

(calligraphy + painting) for each statement.

I'm playing around with how 28 of these plus an interpretive sign

will fit in a display case. They will probably be

smaller copies of the originals.

Exploring Nature with Art and Science

Tomorrow starts my grand plan of a year of exhibits, classroom projects,
and blogs "Exploring Nature thru Art and Science (ENTAS):"
Nature of Science
Art of Nature
Biology for the Seasons
Natural History of Teaching

 
I'm so jazzed, I'm barely registering the amount of work that lies ahead.
If work feels like play, it must be right :).


First up, all of September, is the process of assembling and displaying

The Nature of Science: Science Illuminations

My art pens are in the ready position...

The tea supply has been replenished...


And in case of artistic emergency, there is plenty of back-up candy :).