By: Carlyn Scott, Science Communications Manager
A collaboration between local artists and researchers at the USF College of Marine Science (CMS) aims to bridge the gap between science and the public through artistic performances.
Spearheaded by outreach coordinator Makenzie Kerr, the Breitbart Lab’s partnership with artist Sheila Cowley set out to reinterpret scientific findings and engage new audiences. Cowley’s group, Sparks Creative Stories, developed several performances featuring artists from Creative Clay, a local organization that works with individuals with physical and developmental disabilities.
IMAGE ABOVE: Led Makenzie Kerr, Breitbart Lab manager and outreach coordinator for CMS, members from Creative Clay observe plankton under microscopes. Image credit: Sheila Cowley.
In “What Shines Beneath,” dancers perform movements inspired by ocean research and employ field recordings of marine organisms collected by Tiffany Raetzel, a graduate student at CMS.
“Plankton Poem” is an artistic interpretation of plankton imagery collected by members of the Breitbart Lab and Maggi Mars Brisbin, assistant professor at CMS. Written by Creative Clay artists and poet Sara Ries Dziekonski, the bilingual piece incorporates visual and auditory components, including sounds produced by some of the lab's favorite scientific equipment.
“This is a wonderful collaboration between CMS, Sparks Creative, and Creative Clay,” said Mya Breitbart, Distinguished University Professor at CMS. “We love to see our research portrayed in such a unique way. By including Spanish and American Sign Language interpretations we can reach new audiences and show that science truly is for everyone.”
IMAGE ABOVE: Mya Breitbart leads the Creative Clay members in an activity creating marine organisms out of origami. Image credit: Sheila Cowley.
The collaboration with Sparks Creative Stories was designed to “celebrate the beauty of marine science and the need for arts and science to be accessible to all,” said Cowley, who obtained a Beyond Placemaking grant for this unique project from the National Endowment for the Arts through Creative Pinellas.
“This project encourages scientists to push their limits and work on including the public in their communication,” said Kerr. “The Creative Clay artists are all so enthusiastic and passionate about art. I have learned something new from every single artist we have worked with.”
In true CMS fashion, this partnership was a collaboration with multiple partners across the university, including the USF School of Music’s Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble, USF School of Theatre and Dance, and USF Department of Anthropology.