ABSTRACT
Art in Science Museums brings together perspectives from different practitioners to reflect on the status and meaning of art programmes in science centres and museums around the world.
Presenting a balanced mix of theoretical perspectives, practitioners’ reflections, and case-studies, this volume gives voice to a wide range of professionals, from traditional science centres and museums, and from institutions born with the very aim of merging art and science practices. Considering the role of art in the field of science engagement, the book questions whether the arts might help curators to convey complex messages, foster a more open and personal approach to scientific issues, become tools of inclusion, and allow for the production of totally new cultural products. The book also includes a rich collection of projects from all over the world, synthetically presenting cases that reveal very different approaches to the inclusion of art in science programmes.
Art in Science Museums should be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students working in the fields of museum studies, cultural heritage management, material culture, science communication and contemporary art. It should also be essential reading for museum professionals looking to promote more reflective social science engagement in their institutions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
section 3.1|10 pages
How art contributed to the public image of science
section 3.2|10 pages
Making meaning with art, science and technology
section 4.1|13 pages
A house of collaboration
section 4.2|7 pages
Sophia’s Whale and the hypercubic showcase of sudden comprehension
section 4.3|9 pages
In the spirit of enquiry …
section 4.4|13 pages
Context, collaboration and contemporary culture
section 4.5|1 pages
Case studies
section 4.5.1|3 pages
Digital art
section 4.5.2|3 pages
Exhibit design and art
section 4.5.3|4 pages
Re-imagining hard data
section 4.5.4|4 pages
When the media influences the message
section 4.5.5|4 pages
Humans and computational creativity
section 4.5.6|4 pages
Artistic activism and narratives on environment
section 4.5.7|4 pages
Theatre and teaching
section 4.5.8|3 pages
The power of contemporary art gallery design
section 5.1|13 pages
The Exploratorium
section 5.2|11 pages
Art thinking
section 5.3|9 pages
Art as ingredient for meaningful science learning
section 5.4|10 pages
Answering the unasked questions
section 5.5|1 pages
Case studies
section 5.5.1|3 pages
The value of artefacts in participatory art
section 5.5.2|4 pages
Open-ended exploration
section 5.5.3|3 pages
Participatory performances
section 5.5.4|3 pages
Learning from community centres
section 5.5.5|3 pages
Video-making and new content producers
section 5.5.6|4 pages
Curation and open calls
section 5.5.7|4 pages
Encouraging long-term or top management collaborations
section 5.5.8|3 pages
Learning by making
section 6.1|10 pages
Criticality, imagination and interaction
section 6.2|10 pages
Shifting meaning, shifting contracts – biological arts and evolving museum ethics
section 6.3|11 pages
Decolonising natural history museums through contemporary art
section 6.4|1 pages
Case studies
section 6.4.1|4 pages
Imagining the future
section 6.4.2|3 pages
Questioning the roots of science
section 6.4.3|4 pages
Artist scientists
section 6.4.4|3 pages
Crossbreeding artistic and scientific research
section 6.4.5|3 pages
Questioning common museological practices
section 6.4.6|4 pages
Tackling “cold” topics through emotions
section 6.4.7|3 pages
Beyond answers
section 6.4.8|3 pages
Art connecting personal meanings and collective standpoints