Photo and story by Carrie Pinkard
No one thought they’d end up together.
He was calculative, precise, methodical. She was vibrant, messy and — at times — surreal.
But when science and art came together at the “Think Macro, Act Micro” exhibit, it was impossible to ignore their chemistry.
On Jan. 14, the College of Marine Science and The Collection art club teamed up to create a science-themed art show. Together, they transformed the University Student Center ballroom into a gallery of oceanic art.
The exhibit was inspired by an event from November, when the College of Marine Science opened its laboratory doors for artists to explore. Artists from the university and community looked through microscopes at phytoplankton and painted with bacteria.
What the artists saw that night led them to create over 15 pieces of art for the exhibit.
Antonio Permuy, a USF St. Petersburg alumnus and founder of The Collection art club, said the name for the exhibit was inspired by the slogan “think global, act local.” He emphasized the important role that art can play in local communities.
“This event is showing the power of art,” Permuy said. “This is why we created the art club. It’s showing you can use the vehicle of art to create community. It’s not just connecting different parts of campus, but it’s bringing the campus to the community.”
After Permuy graduated last year, he passed the reigns of the art club over to Grace Stocksdale, a graphic design major. Stocksdale said the event was a fantastic way to inspire artists to connect with science.
“People who didn’t know anything about marine science or plankton were able to learn and really become a part of that community,” Stocksdale said. “We had samples from the bay and we got to look at them under the microscopes and it was really interesting to think this little tiny creature was right there, right next to us.”
Dozens of people filtered in and out of the ballrooms, looking at the art and enjoying a table of hors d’oeuvres.
On display was a painting made of trash found during a beach clean-up. Interactive posters were set up where people could label invertebrates, birds and turtles. Paula Kramer, a well-respected local choreographer, performed a dance while a poem by Sheila Cowley was read.
“The interaction between the artists, scientists, and the community that’s coming together now is the kind of connection I want to continue,” said Mackenzie Kerr, a USF alumna.
“Sometimes science events are very rigid; we ask people to come and listen to one person speak about their science. I want it to be more open and for people to feel a connection with their community. I hope people leave this event feeling happy and that they want to tell people about what they learned,” added Kerr.
Students hoping to get involved more in either art or science are in luck.
Kerr works as an outreach coordinator at the College of Marine Science. She said she would love to team up with more clubs on the USF St. Petersburg campus and introduce them to what’s happening in the marine science labs.
Stocksdale said The Collection art club is open to students of all skill levels. Meetings for this semester are held Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Contact Grace Stocksdale at gstocksdale@mail.usf.edu for meeting locations.
