Arts & Culture

Public-engaging colloquium highlights fourth week of UWF STEAM2017

Artists, scientists and the public will discuss the relevancy and potential of humanities-based efforts in environmental science at the UWF STEAM2017 Colloquium on Saturday, March 4, at the Pensacola Museum of Art.

The program will take place in a salon-type setting. The presenters include scholar educators from departments at the University of West Florida, researchers from the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition and artists and scientists from around the nation. The sessions will engage the public on ideas surrounding the merging of art and science with the environment and ecologies.

Festivities will commence Friday, March 3 with the UWF Downtown Lecture Series at the Pensacola Museum of Art. Elizabeth Demaray, associate professor of fine arts and head of the sculpture presentation at Rutgers University, Camden, will deliver the STEAM2017 Colloquium keynote address from 5:30-6:30 p.m. There will be a reception prior to her keynote address from 5-5:30 p.m.

STEAM2017 Colloquium is free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to come and go as their schedules permit at the Pensacola Museum of Art, which is part of UWF Historic Trust and is located at 407 South Jefferson St.

Schedule of Events:

8 a.m. – Meet and Greet

9 a.m. – Introductions & Welcome

9:30 a.m. – Session 1 – “Intersections of Art and Science (and the needs for a post-disciplinary ethos)”

Is it possible for researchers from various disciplines to engage in a meaningful dialogue and create synergy?

Panel:

Thomas Asmuth – artist and digital art assistant professor, UWF

David Fries – artist and research scientist, Institute for Human Machine Cognition

Jiayi Young – artist and assistant professor of design, University of California, Davis

Chasidy Hobbs – instructor, environmental studies, UWF

11:15 a.m. – Session 2 – “Art, Citizen Science, and Activism”

What is the overlap between art, citizen science and activism and how are these three worlds dealing with the challenges of the future?

Panel:

Sara Gevurtz – artist and instructor, Virginia Commonwealth University

Andrea Steves and Timothy Furstnau – FICTILIS artists

Heather Afford – Turtle THIS Project, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Nick Croghan – artist and art gallery director, UWF

1:30 p.m. – Session 3 – “Of Ants and Men” – documentary film screening

Dive into the remarkable life and groundbreaking work of biologist E.O. Wilson.

2:45 p.m. – Session 4 – “Lecture on the transdisciplinary pioneer: Alexander von Humboldt”

Dr. Barbara Larson, chair of the Department of Art, UWF

4 p.m. – Session 5 – “Wonder”

Wonder occurs in the space between perception and knowledge. The awe of the natural world inspires artists and scientists alike, instilling the need to try and make sense of surroundings.

Panel:

Claudia O’Steen – artist and digital art postdoctoral fellow, UWF

Robin Lasser – artist and professor of art, San Jose State University

Caitlin Rhea – artist and adjunct faculty, Pensacola State College

Elizabeth Demaray – artist and associate professor of fine art, Rutgers University

STEAM2017 is a five-week program focusing on water and the environment that encompasses art exhibitions, lectures and artist-led workshops for students of regional K-12 programs and the general public. It was created to encourage meaningful dialogue between University departments and various fields of study and to spark conversations about environmental stewardship.

The STEAM2017 Art Exhibition will run through March 11 at The Art Gallery, also known as TAG, on the UWF Pensacola campus. TAG is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free and open to the public.

Funding for STEAM2017 was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information about UWF’s STEAM2017 programming, visit uwf.edu/steam2017.