Art and science 'Surge' merge at MoNA

Ken Stern | Oct 03, 20180

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COLLABORATING AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE – Painter Ann Vandervelde, left, and glass sculptor Lin McJunkin worked with forest ecologist Dave Peterson, interpreting his work with forests and fire. The artists and their science partners want to engage the public for a more involved debate on this intense subject. – Photo courtesy of the artists

Science is hard to understand and even when people know the facts, they don’t act, explains Skagit County Science Consortium Director Carol MacIlroy. Her Seattle house is on an earthquake fault, yet she has not reinforced it. “Climate change has created a lot on anxiety in the public, with all this information but people don’t know what to do about it,” she says.

Art might offer an entry in. Thus “Surge,” opening at the Museum of Northwest Art Sat. at 10 a.m. From “a sense of curiosity” from looking at the art created by 21 artists in collaboration with 11 scientists, people’s imaginations, hearts and minds might be sparked into action, says MacIlroy.

MoNA brought artists and scientists together earlier this year. Artists learned about ongoing projects in the areas of forest and fire; snow melt and glaciers; oceans; and deltas and estuaries, the last two including flooding, sea level rise and storm surge. Artists matched with scientists, interpreting their work and creating the art for this exhibit.

Glass sculptor Lin McJunkin, from Conway, and painter Ann Vandervelde, Seattle, are working with Dave Peterson, a biologist with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. He explained his work to them and invited them out to his property. This is a three-way collaboration: these artists are responding to each other as well as to Peterson’s research findings.

“I love the collaborative work,” said Vandervelde. “It brings out the best in Lin and me and we feed off each other.” She pointed out the complimentary aspects of color, line, and curve in pieces they placed together.

Jazz Morgan of Anacortes is also partnered with Peterson. This is her third year with Surge. She says she is a “science educator for the environment” as well as a painter. A poet also, she has written a poem for each of her four paintings. Her theme is seeds and their movement through the ecosystem.

This is the third year MoNA has sponsored “Surge’” The exhibit is open through Jan. 7. A meet the artists and scientists open house is at 2 p.m. Sat.

For a list of the artists and scientists involved: http://monamuseum.org/surge-2018.