The second annual science-themed art exhibit, titled Symbiosis, will be held today from 5-7 p.m. in the Environment and Natural Resources 2 building.
The event is organized by Nu Rho Psi, a national neuroscience honor society, and the UA Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Ambassadors.
The UA School of Mind, Brain, and Behavior, which houses the neuroscience department, will fund the miscellaneous costs of the event, such as the rental of supplies and refreshments.
“I think a lot of people in science would tell you they got into science because they saw these really beautiful images that seemed artistic about the science,” said Alison Comrie, a neuroscience and cognitive science junior and a member of Nu Rho Psi and NSCS Ambassadors. “It’s one of the ways we can capture the imagination of young students and get young students involved in [science, technology, engineering, and math].”
Artwork will be displayed in the entrance of the ENR2 building in a trail that will lead attendees toward the second floor of the building, where the rest of the artwork will be displayed. Light refreshments will be provided.
“The building itself is a fusion of biology and art,” said Dara Farhadi, a senior studying neuroscience and cognitive science. “You walk around, you see metal rungs, different desert creatures on the ground, and it’s supposed to be modeled after a canyon. Then the science part comes in with the architecture. It’s rated on the highest scale of energy efficiency, so they have a whole system of saving water and making a smaller carbon footprint on the environment.”
Last year’s event was held in the Gould-Simpson building. The show’s concept was first proposed by Amy Nippert, who has since graduated from the UA.
This year, more of an effort was made to invite local Tucson artists to the event. Organizers predict that the same amount of art pieces will be submitted, which was approximately 60 pieces last year.
While basic art media are being accepted, such as sculptures, paintings and photos, the event was also opened up to those who wanted to submit art media such as musical compositions and visual performances. While artists are not required to sell their pieces, interested buyers can be given the contact information of the artist in order to contact them about the possibility of a sale.
According to Farhadi, 58 percent of the submissions were from undergraduates, 19 percent were from graduate students, 3 percent were from faculty, 2 percent were from staff members, and 17 percent were from local Tucson community members.
The decision to hold the event in the fall was made because the spring semester tends to be more busy. Both clubs hope to continue hosting the event annually in the fall.
“We didn’t have as much time to reach out to everyone we needed to, but this is the second time that this event has happened, so as the years continue, this event will grow,” said Sarah Blomquist,a junior studying neuroscience and cognitive science and molecular and cellular biology both and a member of NSCS Ambassadors. “Next year we would expect more artists. We’re going to be refining our tactics, reaching out to people, and finding more people besides UA students to submit art.”
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