Flux: Water in Art and Science

October 10, 2016
Fishtales1

An Oct. 21 talk, Flux: Water in Art and Science, will explore how water—acting simultaneously as a biological, ecological, social, political and aesthetic phenomenon—informs and inspires pursuits in the humanities and hard sciences. Sarah FitzSimons, a professor in the Art Department, and Steve Carpenter, director for the Center for Limnology, are the speakers for the program that will begin at 3:30 p.m. and conclude at 4:45 p.m., Friday, Oct. 21, Room L150, Conrad A. Elvehjem Building.

FitzSimons will talk about how she uses science to inform her work. She said in all instances it is important for her that the art not only be an expression of her creativity but that it is scientifically accurate. The hallmark of her portfolio is that it evokes the natural world while being installed in and upon it.

Carpenter is a world-renowned water scholar who has devoted his career to research around freshwater, adaptive ecosystem management and social-ecological system resilience. He will discuss his center’s past and ongoing experience with art-science collaboration both here and in South America. He said he also values the importance of interdisciplinary research and will address that topic as well.

The talk will be followed by a reception and viewing of an accompanying exhibit, “Title/Tidal: Book Arts and Water,” 4:45-6 p.m., Kohler Art Library, Room 160, Conrad A. Elvehjem Building. The public is welcome to attend the talk, reception and exhibit viewing.

The exhibit and talk are sponsored by the Friends of the UW Madison Libraries and co-hosted by the Kohler Art Library and the Wisconsin Water Library at UW-Madison. For information on the exhibit, see library.wisc.edu/art/exhibits/physical-exhibits/fluxtalk2

For More Information:  Moira Harrington, 263-5371, moira@aqua.wisc.edu; Lyn Korenic, 263-2256, lyn.korenic@wisc.edu

Established in 1964 by the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, the Wisconsin Water Library (formerly known as the Water Resources Library) is unique among University of Wisconsin-Madison’s many libraries for its collection of 30,000 volumes about the waters of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes. The library’s mission is to collect, preserve and provide science-based resources in support of the UW Aquatic Sciences Center and the two programs it administers, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute and the Sea Grant Institute.

The Kohler Art Library is a member library of the University of Wisconsin-Madison General Library System and serves as the primary resource on campus for materials and information regarding the visual arts of painting, drawing, architecture, sculpture, graphic arts, photography and decorative arts. Materials related to the arts of all time periods and all geographic areas are collected. The library houses one of the largest artists’ books collections to be found at a public university in North America.