“Tree” by Yeohyun Ahn of Munster, Ind. (a generative painting referenced by the L-system)

Indiana University East Fine Arts program will host its second national juried exhibition themed “Art + Science,” with the support of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Mindful Explorations. The exhibit will be open from March 28 to May 13 in the Tom Thomas Gallery, located in Whitewater Hall.

The public is invited to attend a reception and the award ceremony for “Art + Science” at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the Tom Thomas Gallery in Whitewater Hall. During the reception, juror Lily Simonson will lecture on her work, followed by the announcement of awards. The lecture and the reception are free and open to the public.

“Art + Science” will exhibit the 48 works by 44 artists from 25 states chosen by Simonson. The exhibit received over 525 entries submitted by 262 artists from 40 states around the country. The exhibit is compiled of diverse media and styles of works that will be presented at the exhibition, from traditional to experimental, and anything from interactive sculptures to “generative” paintings.

Ann Kim, assistant professor of fine arts at IU East, explained the theme for this year’s national juried exhibition.

“This is an exciting exhibition that merges two, seemingly different disciplines together: art and science. These two fields, however, share much in common such as their roots in curiosity, inquiry, exploration of the unknown, and problem-solving. What is especially exciting about this exhibition is also the fact that many of the exhibited artworks were created by trained scientists, including artists who have doctoral degrees in fields such as Artificial Intelligence and Genetics,” Kim said.

Simonson is an artist based in Los Angeles who frequently embarks in scientific expeditions to explore and paint remote environments and the otherworldly creatures that inhabit them. Simonson spent three months SCUBA diving and camping in Antarctica as the 2014-15 National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers awardee. She has also served as the resident artist aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus and the Research Vessel Melville painting organisms harvested from the deep sea. Her works have been exhibited across the U.S. and Europe and her art has appeared in a range of media outlets, including the LA Times, LA Weekly, MTV, the Huffington Post, CBS News, and MSNBC. Simonson holds an M.F.A. from UCLA and a B.A. from UC Berkeley. She has taught painting and drawing at UC Berkeley, the Norton Simon Museum of Art, and California State Polytechnic, Pomona.

As the juror, Simonson said she sought to include works that relate to the theme of art and science in ways that are original and multi-faceted.

“While the majority of submissions fit the theme in some way, the most distinguished pieces built on the long tradition of art and science working in concert by either saying something new about that intersection, exploring a specific aspect of science, or using scientific methodologies to create the work,” Simonson said. “Another set of criteria related to each artist’s discussion of his/her work. The strongest submissions were accompanied by a clear written explanation of how the work related to the theme of art and science. At the same time, the conceptual basis for the piece was evident in the work itself, rather than leaning heavily on the accompanying text. Other more pragmatic issues were also considered. For example, it was difficult to accommodate especially long video pieces or physical works that exceeded the maximum dimensions outlined in the call.”

Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit during gallery hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, call Ed Thornburg, gallery curator, at (765) 973-8605 or visit iue.edu/gallery. For more information about the “Art + Science” national juried exhibition, contact Ann Kim, assistant professor of fine arts, at annbkim@iue.edu.

Art + Science Exhibit Entrants

• Matthew Patterson, Mobile, Ala. “Taxonomy of Memory III”
• Stephanie Peters, Camp Verde, Ariz., “Exploding volcano”
• David Shannon-Lier, Phoenix, Ariz., “Reflection of the Rising Moon Over Our Home, Mesa, Arizona”
• Robert Fathauer, Phoenix, Ariz., “Fractal Tree No. 7” and “Three-Fold Development”
• J.J. L’Heureux, Venice, Calif., “Boots & Bed”
• Jennifer Mondfrans, San Francisco, Calif., “Agnes Pockels”
• Marielle Jakobsons, Oakland, Calif., “Into Being”
• Jane Chang Mi, San Marino, Calif., “The End of the Earth”
• Tony Chirinos, Miami, Fla., “Bladder Blade for Balfor Retractor”
• Sally Woods-Alexandres    , Saint Cloud, Fla., “65 Degrees North”
• Holland Houdek, Iowa City, Iowa, “Acetabular Cup with Encrusted Liner” (Hyperbolic Series)
• Kunal Sen, Chicago, Ill., “Life 2.0: Choices”
• Nicola Birch, Spring Grove, Ill., “The Natural Philosopher’s Study”
• Orie Shafer, West Lafayette, Ind., “The Artist as Scientist, Lectures to Myself 03 January 2015”
• Stephen Osborne, Carmel, Ind., “Box #24”
• Kevin Gross, Goshen, Ind., “Projections”
• Sean Hottois, South Bend, Ind., “Semi-Enchanted Tri-Color”
• Anne Sheidler-Bostwick, Elkhart, Ind., “Crinoid Beach, Night Frost”
• Yeohyun Ahn, Munster, Ind., “Tree”
• Devan Horton, Covington, Ky., “Allure”
• Emily Sheehan, Louisville, Ky., “Sense of Self”
• Cassandra Klos, Brighton, Mass., “Paul Bakken, Commander of Crew 155”
• Chris Cavallero, Somerville, Mass., “Plume I”
• Justin Levesque and Jennifer McDermott, Portland, Maine, “Meiosis”
• Krisanne Baker, Waldoboro, Maine, “Phytoplankton Magnification”
• Drew Walker, Marshall, Mich., “Mnemonic Beings Lab | TI-30 Project”
• Ryan Lewis, Kalamazoo, Mich., “Everted Sanctuaries II” and “Everted Sanctuaries III”
• Paula Moxham Imirzian, Farmington Hills, Mich., “Below the Skin”
• Brett Prywitch, Chesterfield, Mo., “Galaxy”
• Tim Christensen, Greenville, N.C., “TC03 Eastern Veil Nebula”
• Kimberly Ritchie, Thornton, N.H., “Rock Tripe Lichen”
• Cheryl Safren, Valley Stream, N.Y., “Violet Crystals”
• Kristen Adamczyk, Brooklyn, N.Y., “Granite”
• Scott McIntire, Greenport, N.Y., “Day Lily and Locust Borer Beetle”
• Susan Byrnes, Cincinnati, Ohio, “Discover”
• Terry Mann, West Manchester, Ohio, “Mile 48”
• Donna Webb and and Beth Lindenberger, Akron, Ohio, “Rotolaria Mixed”
• Angela Piehl, Stillwater, Okla., “PIEHL_Beetle”
• Julian Voss-Andreae, Portland, Ore., “Quantum Corral”
• Joe Beddall, State College, Pa., “November Snow”
• Raina Belleau, Providence, R.I., “Brood”
• Jaime Raybin, Nashville, Tenn., “I Take It You Haven’t Had Sex In A While”
• Nicole Geary, San Antonio, Texas, “Memory Core” (Detail Slide)
• Nicole Geary and Cat Snapp, San Antonio, Texas, “Fossils & Whispers”
• Susan Boye, Seattle, Wash., “Searise”
• Justin Gibbens, Thorp, Wash., “Antarctic Vignette III”