Art isn’t easy. It’s not something you do because you’re not a whiz in math – that’s journalism. It’s not a quick credit or two in high school. But it sure is fascinating. And those of us who aren’t blessed with artistic talent, or just don’t know it yet, can appreciate others’ work at the current exhibit of the Arts Council of Snohomish County.
The Art of Science is everywhere at the council’s gallery on Wall Street in Everett. Starting today, school kids will find out via field trips that art is not just a bunch of pictures hanging on drab walls. It’s about 3-D theaters, “interactive beings,” bamboo gardens, the string theory, blown eggs, pottery, glass fusion, photography, sculptures and much more.
Until June 17, the gallery is featuring this collection of work by artists who use science concepts in one manner or another to create their pieces. And the artists, in their own words, tell you how and why they did it.
In Professor Gunter’s Superphosphorescent 3-D Chamber, visitors can learn all about how 3-D works and what the “phosphorescent effect” is all about before they even put on the 3-D glasses and step inside the theater to see some of the “professor’s” colorful artwork jump out at them.
That’s if they’re not first swept away by artist Jerry Wennstrom’s “interactive beings.” Quiet and untouched, these grandfather-clock tall creatures made out of knobs, gadgets and gizmos, are interesting enough to study. When a docent twists, turns, pulls or pushes something, the creatures come alive. One being’s innards includes a small steam engine built from scratch.
A couple of ceramic pieces deserve a second and third look when the viewer learns that ceramics isn’t just a matter of running your hands through wet clay. It involves engineering, physics and chemistry in order to calculate correctly so the artist doesn’t break the delicate work.
And who would have thought that a Pacific Dolphin has “hands”? You’ll believe it when you see Jerry McCollum’s stark and stunning photo of this dolphin’s skeleton.
Parents of students fortunate enough to visit the exhibit will find themselves curious to see for themselves what all the talk is about. But the rest of us shouldn’t leave it just to the children. This exhibit is inspiring enough to make us all believe we are smart enough to be artists.
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