2017 Residents

Testimonials 

..."The other note would be that, we are all just very talented people and bring such amazing talents to the collaboration, realizing those talents are all different and finding the best balance was the hidden challenge. In the end, the residency surpass all my expectations and was truly a wonderful experience. I could not have asked for a better partner to collaborate with and to learn from and a project to work towards. Just amazing!"
"​My preconception of working across disciplines on entering the residency was that Science would help legitimize my Art... The residency has enlightened me to the fact that this is just one method of Science and Art collaboration."
"...both the length of time and emphasis on [the collaboration's] process gave us a chance to deeply explore different concepts and synthesize our expertise in a way that I couldn’t have foreseen..."
"The most valuable aspect of the residency was the fact that there was not a required output. The fact that we could let the project develop organically and not be focused on producing a final product was beneficial because it allowed us to take our time and really discover what it was [we] wanted to communicate."
"We really became friends and were able to push into some new territory. I think engaging with different content allowed me to explore some other interests (at least relatively unexplored interests) of mine that I may never have otherwise. So, in that regard I would clarify and say that the most valuable aspect of the residency is growth through fresh discourse with a scientist..."
"I found that the freedom to explore ideas through process to be the most valuable aspect of the residency. My definition of what is a collaboration and what is SciArt have broaden significantly. I feel like a successful collaboration comes from sharing ideas and through listening and understanding the process of each approach, both scientific and artistic."
GROUP 1:

As a Course Leader at Leeds Arts University (U.K.), Rosemary Chalmers is currently developing the new BA (Hons) Comic and Concept Art. Her artwork explores the development of creatures through drawing, informed by existing animal anatomy and practice-based research methods. Rosemary enjoys experimenting with different approaches to creature design. The diversity of animals on Earth inspire her drawings. Evolution fascinates her, and even more so, the possibilities of evolution in the future and on other planets. Recently Rosemary has also been investigating the possibility of animal-plant hybrids in creature design. Continuing to develop her practice, she aims to create creatures with real-world plausibility. Synthesizing iterative drawing techniques and a visual knowledge of animal anatomy, Rosemary hopes to further explore how interacting with scientific principles can impact her practice and perhaps beyond.

​Jill Shipman is a geoscientist, science communicator, storyteller, and filmmaker. Shipman obtained her B.Sc. in Geosciences from the University of Texas-Dallas. She is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Volcanology and pursing film studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). She has experience in volcanic eruption response, as well as education and outreach in the arts and sciences. Shipman is also a director, actor, and writer. She has been involved in theatre and film productions both behind the scenes and as a performer. Her work has been featured in juried art exhibitions and film festivals, winning multiple awards for her short film “Life in the Infrared.” Shipman is currently the production manager at FRAME Film Production Services, in the Department of Theatre and Film (UAF) and is an active member of the American Geophysical Union Art and Science community. Shipman resides in Fairbanks, Alaska.
GROUP 2:

​Lauren Sullivan is an ecologist interested in how to restore healthy plant communities to provide increased biodiversity, healthy soils, clean water, etc. to the landscape. She spends a lot of time thinking specifically about plant movement, and the biotic and abiotic factors that influence how plants move around by seed and pollen. For example, Lauren studies how animals pick up and move seeds, and the consequences of this movement for native grasslands in the Midwest United States. Throughout her career, she has worked with students in the arts and humanities to collaborate on projects that help communicate the importance of science and native lands conservation in unique and creative ways.

Ken Millington is an artist living in Brooklyn, New York. His artwork engages with concepts of time, cosmology and artifact. In addition to public projects, he creates large-scale paintings and digital video. His most recent public artworks include “Static Fossil”, a billboard that resided in the Bronx, and an installation at the Art Lot in Brooklyn. He has recently exhibited his artwork at the CICA Museum in South Korea, the First AIM Biennial at the Bronx Museum, Kunsthalle Galapagos in Brooklyn, and Bryan Miller Gallery in Houston. His work has been shown throughout the United States, Latin America and Asia. He has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, several Greenshields Grants and an A.I.M Fellowship. He received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a MFA from the School of Visual Arts. He teaches at Parsons the New School in New York City.
GROUP 3:

​Kent Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Grambling State University, Grambling, LA where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree, Physics; Fisk University, Nashville, TN, Master of Science, Physics; and earned his Doctorate of Education, Learning Organizations, and Strategic Change at Lipscomb University. Dr. Wallace was offered a position as a Research Assistant in Fisk University’s Physics Department, upon completion of his Masters Degree. He served in that position for three years and accepted a full-time faculty position in the fall of 2002. Currently, he serves as a physics faculty member and is the Director of Physics Laboratories. In that capacity, he assumed responsibility for the modernization and instruction in all physics undergraduate laboratories, as well as, laboratory curriculum. Under his supervision, the Physics laboratories have advanced from partial to full computerization of data collection and received numerous improvements by way of renovation, organization, and utilization of more efficient equipment. 

Jenny Bower is a historical keyboardist, community-based scientist, and open-source cartographer. She achieved dual M.Mus. and M.S. degrees in historical keyboard performance and geology from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Vermont, respectively, after completing parallel B.A. and B.Mus in Geology and Organ Performance at Oberlin. Within her research, Jenny has explored contaminant geochemistry within urban soils, estimated lead poisoning risk using site-specific geospatial models, and conducted place-based community science with area high school students. As a musician, she has competed and performed internationally, while exploring concepts of embodiment and rhythmic inequality within performance practices and highlighting works by queer and women composers. Currently, she analyzes and publishes geospatial data for the State of Vermont, performs regularly abroad as a harpsichordist with the Shanghai Camerata, and serves as organist for a local church.
GROUP 4:

​Matej Vakula is a multimedia artist, educator, curator, theorist, programmer, and DIY enthusiast with a specialty in data visualization, biology, and urban issues. He is the artist in residence at Center for Molecular Imaging and Nanotechnology at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center, a research fellow at the Public Lab, and a member of community bio lab Genspace. Dedicated to the development of new methods in Artistic Research, his work explores the impact of culture, technology, location, and politics on personal experience, social interrelationships, body, and nature. Matej has exhibited internationally at institutions such as Ars Electronica and 6th Prague Biennial, and is the co-founder of CLAKULA Gallery, NYC. His visuals were recently published in the Science Magazine.

Thanassis Psaltis is a Physics PhD candidate at McMaster University in Canada. He took his BSc in Physics from University of Athens and his research interest lies in the area of Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics, the study of the origin of the elements in the cosmos. He has worked as a researcher in major laboratories in Greece, Canada, the U.S., Japan, and Germany including instistuions such as TRIUMF, Argonne National Laboratory, and RIKEN. When he is not smashing nuclei using big machines to find out what are we made of, he produces/presents shows in the W.J. McCallion Planetarium, edits the science website “Science Seeker,” and participates in science communication initiatives worldwide.