Making the strange familiar and the familiar strange.

Those who would like to participate in an online journal or influence an artist at work will have an opportunity to share both their insights and creative impulses in a new program at the California Science Center entitled the "Art & Science Studio". The unique program explores the relationship between art and science, and culminates in an interactive exhibit that incorporates a number of elements including seminars, a forum of community Fellows, an online journal, and an opportunity for the public to converse with the artist.

Artist-In-Residence Kim Abeles

Artist-in-Residence Kim Abeles utilizes commentary from these events and conversations to create an evolving exhibit on Where Is Color? She will be working on-site, using the Science Center Art & Science Gallery as her Studio, adding elements to the exhibit as it evolves through three stages. Where Is Color? will be on display through fall of 2001. Both the "Art & Science Studio" and exhibit are supported in part by a grant from the J. Paul Getty Trust.

Beginning January 25, 2001 the public is invited to view the exhibit and express their insights, either directly to the artist or through an online journal, in the Science Center's Art & Science Gallery.

According to California Science Center Deputy Director for Exhibits Diane Perlov, the goal of the program "is to create a forum for on-going and substantive dialogue, both intellectual and personal on topics about art and science. Bringing artists, scholars and the public together in this shared exploration will enrich our understanding of the world and how we experience it. I hope that it will stimulate critical thinking about the relationship between art and science as well as promote interest in science through art and art through science."

Artist-In-Residence Kim Abeles
Abeles is a Los Angeles-based artist and activist. Her work is informed and inspired by her exploration and fusion of numerous disciplines including biology, biography, history, philosophy and contemporary social issues. Abeles' work has been acquired by major collectors and shown in local and national art institutions. She has earned a number of commissions for major projects in the metropolitan area, as well as fellowships from the J. Paul Getty Trust Fund for the Visual Arts and California Arts Council.

Abeles developed projects about air pollution with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair and with the Environmental Studies Department at Oberlin College. Her art has been exhibited throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, the Near East, and Czechoslovakia. Her work is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, California African American Museum, United States Information Agency, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.

Three Stage Exhibit - Where is Color?

Public Sitings

Stage I
The exhibit evolves in three stages. The first stage, which opened in October 2000, is an exhibit of Abeles current work on the theme of color. It includes such works as "Sixty Days of Los Angeles Sky Patch", a sculptural contraption used to monitor the coloration of polluted skies, as well as "Public Sitings" which uses telephone wires with color codes to define public space in Los Angeles County.

Stage II
Stage II is perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the series and debuts on January 25, 2001. It features an exhibit based on seminar debates from a forum of community Fellows. The first forum in a series of scheduled discussions was held on October 2, 2000 and explored the theme "What is Color?" Forum participants debated Newton's experiments on color, and Plato's dialogue between Socrates and Meno on "how we gain knowledge." Abeles was present to absorb and interpret the discourse, using the Fellows' thoughts to serve as the nucleus of the art exhibit.

Stage III
The final stage of the exhibit will interpret the public's input from the online journal, conversations with the artist, seminar and Forum commentary. This stage will debut in May of 2001 and remain on display through November 2001.

Forum Participants
Forum participants meet on a quarterly basis and are comprised of seminar Fellows including:
Michael Alexander, Executive Director, Grand Performances; William Alschuler, Ph.D., Science Faculty, California Institute of the Arts; David Barrington-Holt, Creative Director, Jim Henson Creature Shop; Jonathan Green, Director, California Museum of Photography, University of California at Riverside; Cecily M. Grzywacz, Scientist, Environmental Research Group, The Getty Conservation Institute; and Tom Simpson, Ph.D., Tutor Emeritus, St. John's College.

"We are pleased to debut this innovative program, which provides a vehicle for critical thinking and ongoing dialogue about the relationship between art and science," said Science Center Executive Director Jeff Rudolph. When asked why a Science Center is doing an art exhibit Rudolph noted, "While scientific knowledge is our focus, it is not the only tool we have for scientific exploration. By looking at the world through many lenses, we gain new insights—both intellectual and emotional—about our world and our place in it. At the Science Center, we are using art in just such a way—to introduce visitors to different tools and perspectives for understanding our world—and ultimately to inspire curiosity and learning."

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