WSCC gallery presents Science in Art

Image by John Poindexter.

VICTORY TWP. – The Manierre Dawson Gallery on the campus of West Shore Community College is hosting a new exhibit, Science in Art, until October 25.

The four artists included in the exhibit were inspired by the natural world or the abstract world of mathematics and physics.

In the photographs of John Poindexter and the ceramic sculpture of Nathan Grubich, the world is viewed in an uncommon way—through the zoom lens of a camera and, in Grubich’s case, the suggestion of natural forms as they might be seen through a microscope.

In the paintings of Carolyn Damstra, viewers turn their gaze downward to see the often overlooked landscape beneath their feet. Kristine Campbell comes from a background in science and mathematics and her collages are inspired by the visual representation of space, time and formulae.

Three of the artists live in the Ludington area. Poindexter is professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the College and has been taking photographs of the natural world for over 30 years. Grubich is co-owner of the Red Door Gallery in Ludington where more of his work can be seen.

Image by Kristine Campbell

Campbell exhibits at the AM Gallery in Ludington as well as other locations in Michigan and New York. Damstra lives in the Lansing area and exhibits throughout the state of Michigan.

The exhibit was assembled by Curator Rebecca Mott to emphasize the connections between science and art.

“Both scientists and artists require intensity of focus and perseverance, yet must accept that the outcome of their work is uncertain. They are explorers urged on by irrepressible curiosity, who often find that their biggest discoveries arrive through a leap of the imagination,” says Mott.

“Even though, today, science and art are often treated as if they were miles apart, it cannot be denied that new ways of seeing and understanding the world rely on both the rigorous investigation usually identified with scientists and the spontaneous inspiration assigned to the artist.”

Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday. The exhibit may also be viewed on weekends or evenings during events in WSCC’s Center Stage Theater.